Quse hot spring, surrounded by green travertine, in Xizang (Tibet)

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Ping Zhao

The Quse Hot Spring is located in the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve on the northern Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau, at an elevation of 4,740 meters above sea level. The spring outlet temperature reaches 72.8°C, and the water is of the NaHCO₃ type. The helium isotope ratio of the gases is 0.22 Rc/Ra, indicating that the helium is mainly derived from crustal sources, with a minor contribution from mantle-derived helium. Travertine deposits across the Qinghai–Xizang Plateau are typically dominated by white and brown calcium carbonate formations, while green travertine makes the spring unique visual appearance.

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Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported (CC BY-ND 3.0)

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Credit: Ping Zhao (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

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Type Image Format JPG Size 9.5 MB Aspect 2141:1500 Width 4282 px Height 3000 px Brand Canon Model EOS 5D Mark II Exposure 27 mm f/10 1/800 s ISO 100 Software photoshop Coordinates 32.5270, 89.9434 Tint Moderate olive green Submitted 16 May 2026 Taken 9 September 2018