I really don't know. I don't want to make a wild speculative theory - it could just be about claiming potential mineral wealth. But there does seem to be some mystery about this region. There's a post on this that I've been meaning to write for ages. I'll try to write it this week. Not sure exactly when, as I'm just about to leave on one of my 2-day mountain jaunts. And I've got a really full-on week after that, but I'll put it on my to-do list!