The mountain's thrust-fold structure, exposed in 200-meter-high rock faces, reveals Precambrian gneiss overlying Cretaceous granites due to ongoing tectonic compression (convergence rate: 18 mm/year).
[4][5] The Galongla Tunnel (China National Highway 318), completed in 2010 at 3,700 meters, eased access but increased black carbon deposition on the glacier (0.8 μg/g ice core measurements).
[6][7] Protected under China's National Ecological Security Barrier Project, the area sustains rare species like the Mishmi takin (Budorcas taxicolor) and Rhododendron galactinum, a cloud-forest shrub endemic to its 3,800–4,200 m slopes.
[8][9] UNESCO designated it part of the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon Biosphere Reserve in 2021.
Permitted trekking routes (May–October) avoid calving icefalls, with mandatory local guides.