Trans- and Tethyan Himalayan Rivers: In Reference to Ladakh and Lahaul-Spiti, NW Himalaya
The Himalayan system is a complex and young fold mountain chain, rightly known as the water tower of Asia. Trans-Himalaya and the Tethyan Himalaya consist of a mountainous region about 1,000 km long and 225 km wide in the center, narrowing to ~32 km width
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1 Introduction The Himalayan system is a complex and youngest fold mountain chain, which stretches across six countries, namely Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. Some of the major rivers of the world rise in the Himalaya and their combined drainage basin are home to some 1.3 billion people. Among the three major rivers originating in the Mount Kailash area in Tibet, namely the Sutlej, Brahmaputra, and Indus, only river Sutlej cross-cuts the Himalayan orogen at its central part, the other two (Indus and Brahmaputra) cross the Himalaya at its west and east syntaxes. Trans-Himalaya (north of Indus Suture zone (ISZ)) and the Tethyan Himalaya (area between the Main Central Thrust (MCT) and ISZ) consist of a mountainous region about 1000 km long and 225 km wide in the center, narrowing to *32 km width at the eastern and western ends. The Trans-Himalaya, mainly composed of granites and volcanic rocks of Neogene and Paleogene age, are bounded by the Kailas (SW), Nganglong Kangri (N), and Nyainqêntanglha (SE) mountain ranges and by the River Brahmaputra (Yarlung Zangbo) (S) while the Tethyan Himalaya consists of the sedimentary rocks of Upper Proterozoic to Eocene ages. Trans-Himalaya are not divided by deep river gorges and lack a definite alignment unlike the southern sectors (Higher and Lesser Himalaya). Passes average 5,330 m in height, with the highest being Khardung La (La = pass) 5,725 m in the Ladakh region.
B. Phartiyal (&) R. Singh D. Nag Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53-University Road, Lucknow 226007, India e-mail: [email protected] © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018 D.S. Singh (ed.), The Indian Rivers, Springer Hydrogeology, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2984-4_29
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Ladakh (Trans-Himalaya) and Lahaul-Spiti (Tethyan Himalaya) regions of India occupy a very important place as far as the circulatory winds and the Indian monsoon are concerned. It is the pathway of the monsoon winds to the Tibetan plateau. The area remains covered with snow for nearly six months, and the peaks above 5,000 m are permanently capped with snow throughout the year. There are many glaciers in the region which are the source of the rivers flowing in this region. The terrain is above the tree line (3,000 m), and the area has a rugged topography (lunar topography); vegetation is only confined to the villages and river valleys (Fig. 1). Thus, due to this rugged topography and high altitude (10 km) at the confluence. The picture is taken from left bank of River Shyok at Diskit Monastery
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viz. the Tangtse Strand and Pangong Strand (Dunlap et al. 1998; Rutter et al. 2007). These strands are occupied by the River Tangtse and its major tributary, respectively (Fig. 7a). It is fed by valley streams, from an altitude above 4,000 m asl. The river originates near Chushul and flows in the Loi Yogma Valley along the Tangtse strand of the KF for about 72 km. A tributary flows from near the Pangong Tso water divide in the Lukhung–Muglib Valle
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