World’s Largest Canyon – The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon was 310 miles long and was home to some of the tallest trees ever found in Asia. One of the most fascinating trees was the Cypress tree, which reached 330 feet tall. Compared to that height, the 305-foot Statue of Liberty looked tiny. According to a statement from Newsweek, “the tree was a Himalayan Cypress (Cupressus torulosa), while other reports in Chinese state media said it was a Tibetan Cypress (Cupressus gigantea).”

Researchers from Peking University, Xizijiang Conservation Center and Shan Shui Conservation Center used a drone with a lidar sensor to create a 3D model of the tree. Further investigation confirmed that it was Asia’s tallest tree, although there was no clear information about its origin and species. However, there were many giant trees in this area, 25 of which over 295 feet tall were found near this tree. But these Himalayan and Tibetan cypress trees were rare, only a few lived in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Nature Reserve.

Researchers made some fascinating discoveries last year, including a 252-foot-tall tree in Medog County. Knewz.com revealed that a newly discovered 272-foot-tall fir in southwest China is the second tallest tree in the world, after the Himalayan and Tibetan cypress. The third tallest tree was a 330-foot-tall rowan in Australia, the fourth tallest was a 327-foot-tall Douglas fir in Oregon, and the fifth tallest was a 323.3-foot-tall yellow meranti in Malaysia, according to Newsweek.

However, the tallest tree in the world was the coast redwood “Hyperion” in Redwood National Park in California. It was 116 meters tall, was discovered in 2006 and was estimated to be 600 to 800 years old.

Besides the trees, researchers made many other discoveries in the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon. The canyon is 60 km longer than the Grand Canyon. It was formed about 3 million years ago when tectonic forces pushed the earth’s crust upward, steepening the course of the Yarlung Tsangpo River and causing massive erosion. According to Live Science, the canyon’s deepest point reached 6,009 m and its average depth was 2,270 m. Even the deepest point of the Yarlung Tsangpo was three times deeper than the Grand Canyon.

There was a section in the southeastern Tibet Autonomous Region where the canyon ran between two giant peaks: Namcha Barwa at 7,782m and Gyala Peri at 7,294m. The canyon became even more beautiful as the Yarlung Tsangpo River flowed through some of the most rugged and least explored areas on earth.

The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon was home to many unique plants, including rhododendrons, juniper trees and shrubs, and the Himalayan blue poppy. The area was also home to animals such as the snow leopard, Tibetan antelope (chiru), Himalayan blue sheep (bharal), and Tibetan wolf. Wanting to keep a close eye on the trees and the evolution of other species, researchers continued their exploration of the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon.