Issues

COVER: Mount Qomolangma, the highest mountain in the world, peaking at 8848.86 m, occurs on the crest of the Himalayan Mountain ranges that were produced following the collision of Indian plate continental crust with the Eurasian margin. Mani piles in the foreground are common in Tibetan areas; they symbolize keeping away evil spirits and bringing peace and auspiciousness to people and animals. See “An asymmetric Late Cretaceous back-arc basin south of Tibet?” by Shihua Xu et al., p. 392–397.

Photo by Yong-Xiang Li.