Glaciers of Himalaya

Himalayas is the origin of many glaciers and important rivers of Asia. The range offers different kinds of glaciers. Especially the Jammu and Kashmir glaciers and glaciers of Ladakh are of different types. But the most important is the Siachen glacier, which is the largest glacier outside the Polar Regions. Some of the important glaciers in the Jammu and Kashmir are as follows:

• Siachen Glacier
• Baltoro Glacier
• Biafo Glacier
• Nubra Glacier
• Hispur Glacier
  

Siachen Glacier

The Siachen glacier is located in the extreme north-central part of Jammu and Kashmir near the India and Tibet border. It stretches to a length of about 72 km; it is the largest glacier in the world outside the Polar Regions. Siachen is situated on the north-facing slopes of the Karakoram Range. It is the source of the Mutzgah or Shaksgam River that flows parallel to the Karakoram Range before it enters Tibet.





The central part of Siachen glacier is a vast snowfield. It mainly lies in a vast trough, which is about 2 km wide and scattered with rocks and boulders on its sides. Large tributary glaciers like the Mamostang and Shelkar Chorten open into the main glacier from both sides of its trough. Numbers of icefalls are formed at the meeting point of trunk glacier and small valley glaciers. A group of three glaciers i.e. North, Central and South lies to the east of the Siachen. It is known as the Rimo glacier group. The altitude of this glacier is between 6,000 and 7,000 m above sea level. The Siachen glacier can be traveled via Skardu in Ladakh.

Baltoro Glacier

Baltoro glacier is located in Jammu and Kashmir in an area called Baltistan on the southern slopes of the central Karakoram Range. It stretches to a length of 62 km. It is the second largest glacier in the Himalayan region. Shigar River, which is a tributary of the Indus River, originates from this glacier. Other large tributary glaciers supply the main Baltoro glacier. The central part has a vast snowfield and the trough of this glacier is very wide. This glacier can be accessed via Skardu in Ladakh.

Biafo Glacier


Biafo glacier is located in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir in an area called Baltistan on the south slopes of the Karakoram Range. It stretches to a length of 60 km. The main stream, which originates from Biafo glacier flows into a tributary of the Indus River called the Shigar River. In this area there is no vegetative cover.












Nubra Glacier


The Nubra glacier is located in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir on the southern slopes of the Karakoram Range. Nubra River originates from this glacier flows into the Shyok River. Just like the other glaciers the central portion of the glacier forms a vast snowfield. Vegetation is totally absent in this area as it lies above the snow line. The place can be access via Leh in Ladakh.










Hispar Glacier


In the Himalayan region Hispar glacier is the third largest glacier. It is located in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir on southern slopes of the Karakoram Range. It stretches to a length of 60 km. There is no vegetation of any kind in this area. Many small glaciers join the main glacier on both sides. The central part of the glacier is a vast snowfield while its sides contain debris eroded by the huge body of moving ice.




Among the other glaciers in Uttaranchal regions are as follows:

• Bandarpunch Glacier
• Dokriani Glacier
• Chorbari Bamak Glacier
• Khatling Glacier
• Doonagiri Glacier
• Tiprabamak Glacier
  

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Himalayan Geography

The more you discover the Himalayas the more interesting it becomes. There are so many facts about Himalayas that it is really difficult to know at one time. The more you explore the Himalayas the more you get involved into it. The Himalaya is the world's largest mountain range. Its peak is of 8,000 meters, which is approximately 26, 000 feet. There are 14 such peaks of Himalayas and hundreds of summits, which are around 23,000 feet high. The mountain range stretches 1,700 miles across an area between Assam and Kashmir. The east is guarded Namche Barwa while the west is guarded by the splendid Nanga Parbat. The Himalayas are mainly young folded mountains. It extends from west to east for about 2,500 km in a curve from the Pamit Knot in the northwest to the valley of the Brahmaputra River in the east. The width of the Himalayas is of 100 - 400 km. The Himalayas range covers an area of 612,021 sq. km. The Himalayas passes through five nations: India, Pakistan, China, Bhutan and Nepal. In India it stretches across five states: Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, and in China it is Tibet. The Himalayas is also the origin or source of world's two important river systems: the Indus Basin and the Ganga-Brahmaputra Basin.

From south to north the Himalayas are divided into different parallel ranges: And they are as follows:

Lower Himalayas with an average height of 3,700 m

Sub Himalayas with an average height of 900 to1, 200 m. It is the youngest of the three ranges. It is mainly made up of eroded matter from the rising Himalaya and the next is

The Great Himalayas, which is a single range and the oldest of the three ranges with a height above 6,000 m including Mount Everest, K2 and Kanchenjunga and nine of the 14 highest peaks in the world.

Also there is Tibetan Himalayas. The Tibet Plateau is known as the Roof of the World with an average height of 4,000 to 4,5900 meters. Even the Karakoram Range in the northwest is also considered as a part of the Himalayan range.

History Of Himalaya

Himalayas is known for its historical, religious, and geographical significance. Historically it has a lot of relevance it served as a guard from various invasions, a border and a meeting ground for different races, culture and religion. It formed a divide between India and Tibet. But that barrier didn't stopped individuals from pursuing adventurous journeys to explore the unknown side of the mountains. People traveled for religious and trade purposes. The trans-Himalayan region was a key center for trade and commerce. With the famous Silk Route this region first gained importance during the early Han dynasty i.e. 206 BC to 8 AD. The route connected Central Asia with South Asia, and created a bridge between culturally and religiously diverse countries such as India, China, Afghanistan, Nepal, and Bhutan. Himalayas was also a witness to the Indus Valley Civilization, the oldest Indian Civilization. In 1856 in the foothills of the Himalayas the twin cities of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa was discovered. So Himalayas has a rich historical background to unfold. To explore the Himalayas innumerable attempts have been made as the Mount Everest has been opened for commercial mountaineering in the early 1920s. But Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary have made the first successful attempt to climb the Everest in May 1953. Since then many successful attempt have been made to climb the Mount Everest. Now coming to the origin of Himalayas it can be said that millions of years ago, a collision between Indo-Australian Plate and the Eurasian Plate resulted in the formation of the world's highest mountain Himalayas. There were several steps in the formation of the Himalayas. The first step was the collision of the Gondwana plate and Angara plate. The seabed raised into longitudinal ridges and valleys. In the second step the collision was very effective and powerful. The Tethys bed rose to a great extent to cause the final retreat of the sea. During this the Great Himalayas and the Tibetan Himalayas were formed. In the third step the Lower Himalayas were formed. During the fourth step the Himalayas ranges elevated and the Sub Himalayas were raised. The last step was the final phase, which determines the present structure of the Himalayas.The panoramic view of the mountain ranges attracts traveler across the world. The early Aryans use to consider Himalayas as the adobe of Gods and Goddess. In 1852 the highest mountain in the world was named after Sir George Everest as Mount Everest. Some facts about the Himalayas expeditions are: As Nepal opened its frontiers in 1949 to the outside world people explored ten of the fourteen 8000m peaks. Some of the major among them areAnnapurna (8091m) was the first peak to be climbed in 1950, and then in 1953 it was Mount Everest (8848m) and Nanga Parbat (8125m). From that time onwards many expeditions have been made and by 1964 all the Himalayan peaks had been climbed.