Glaciers and river systems

Glaciers and river systems 

The Himalayan range encompasses about 15,000 glaciers, which store about 12,000 km3 of freshwater. The 70 km-long Siachen Glacier at the India-Pakistan border is the second longest glacier in the world outside the polar region. Some of the other more famous glaciers include the Gangotri and Yamunotri (Uttarakhand), Nubra, Biafo and Baltoro (Karakoram region), Zemu (Sikkim) and Khumbu glaciers (Mount Everest region). The higher regions of the Himalayas are snowbound throughout the year, in spite of their proximity to the tropics, and they form the sources for several large perennial rivers, most of which combine into two large river systems: The western rivers combine into the Indus Basin, of which the Indus River is the largest. The Indus begins in Tibet at the confluence of Sengge and Gar rivers and flows southwest through India and then through Pakistan to the Arabian Sea. It is fed by the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas, and the Sutlej rivers, among others. Most of the other Himalayan rivers drain the Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin. Its two main rivers are the Ganges and the Brahmaputra and the Yamuna, among other tributaries. The Brahmaputra originates as the Yarlung Tsangpo River in western Tibet, and flows east through Tibet and west through the plains of Assam. The Ganges and the Brahmaputra meet in Bangladesh, and drain into the Bay of Bengal through the world's largest river delta.The eastern-most Himalayan rivers feed the Ayeyarwady River, which originates in eastern Tibet and flows south through Myanmar to drain into the Andaman Sea. The Salween, Mekong, Yangtze and the Huang He (Yellow River) all originate from parts of the Tibetan plateau that are geologically distinct from the Himalaya mountains, and are therefore not considered true Himalayan rivers. Some geologists refer to all the rivers collectively as the circum-Himalayan rivers. In recent years, scientists have monitored a notable increase in the rate of glacier retreat across the region as a result of global climate change.Although the effect of this will not be known for many years, it potentially could mean disaster for the hundreds of millions of people who rely on the glaciers to feed the rivers of northern India during the dry seasons. 

Posted by sadaf fahim at 01:16 0 comments

Mount Abu

Mount Abu 

Mount Abu About this sound pronunciation (help·info) is the highest peak in the Aravalli Range of Rajasthan state in western India. It is located in Sirohi district. Mount Abu is 58 km from Palanpur (Gujarat). The mountain forms a distinct rocky plateau 22 km long by 9 km wide. The highest peak on the mountain is Guru Shikhar, at 1,722 metres (5,650 ft) above sea level. It is referred to as 'an oasis in the desert', as its heights are home to rivers, lakes, waterfalls and evergreen forests. The ancient name of Mount Abu is "Arbudaanchal"                                                                                         Arbudaanchal

Contents [hide]
 * 1 History o
1.1 The Gurjars and Arbuda Mountain o
Nakki Lake after sunset
1.2 Mythology
 * 2 Tourist attractions
 * 3 Climate
* 4 Transportation
 * 5 Demographics
 * 6 References                                                                
 * 7 External links                                                                               Nakki Lake after sunset

 History

 The Gurjars and Arbuda Mountain

 The Arbuda Mountains (Mount Abu) region is said to be original abode of the famous Gurjaras.The association of the Gurjars with the mountain is noticed in many inscriptions and epigraphs including Tilakamanjari of Dhanpala. These Gurjars (Gujars or Gujjars) migrated from Arbuda mountain region and as early as sixth century A.D, they set up one or more principalities in Rajasthan and Gujarat. Almost all or a larger part of Rajasthan and Gujarat had been known as Gurjaratra (country ruled or protected by the Gurjars) or Gurjarabhumi (land of the Gurjars) for centuries prior to Mughal period.The conquest of Mount Abu in 1311 by Rao Lumba of Deora-Chauhan dynasty brought to an end the reign of the Parmars and also marked the decline of Mount Abu. He shifted the capital city to Chandravati in the plains. After the destruction of Chandravati in 1405, Rao Shasmal made Sirohi his headquarters.Later it was leased by the British government from the then Maharaja of Sirohi for use as the headquarter of the resident to Rajputana (another name for Rajasthan). [edit]

 Mythology 

  In the Puranas, the region has been referred to as Arbudaranya ("forest of Arbhuda") and 'Abu' is a diminutive of this ancient name. It is believed that sage Vasishtha retired to the southern spur at Mount Abu following his differences with sage Vishvamitra. There is another mythology according to which a serpent named "Arbuda" saved the life of Nandi - Lord Shiva's bull. The incident happened on the mountain which is currently known as mount Abu and so the mountain is named "Arbudaranya" after that incident which gradually became Abu.

Mount Abu
—  city  —
Mount Abu Location of Mount Abu in Rajasthan and India
Coordinates	24°35′33″N 72°42′30″E / 24.5925°N 72.7083°E / 24.5925; 72.7083Coordinates: 24°35′33″N 72°42′30″E / 24.5925°N 72.7083°E / 24.5925; 72.7083
Country	India
State	Rajasthan
District(s)	Sirohi
Population • Density	30,000 (2011[update]) • 50 /km2 (129 /sq mi)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 1,164 metres (3,819 ft)

Tourist attractions

Sunset at Mt. Abu

The town of Mount Abu, the only hill station in Rajasthan, is located at an elevation of 1,220 m (4,003 ft). It has been a popular retreat from the heat of Rajasthan and neighbouring Gujarat for centuries. The Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1960 and covers 290 km² of the mountain. The mountain is also home to several Hindu temples, including the Adhar Devi Temple, carved out of solid rock; the Shri Raghunathji Temple; and a shrine and temple to Dattatreya built atop the Guru Shikhar peak and a number of Jain temples including Dilwara, a complex of temples carved of white marble that was built between the 11th and 13th centuries AD. The oldest of these is the Vimal Vasahi temple, built in 1021 AD by Vimal Shah and dedicated to the first of the Jain Tirthankaras and they include the Achaleswar Mahadev Temple (1412) and the Kantinath Temple (1513). It is also the location of "Madhuban", the headquarters of the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. Nakki Lake with the Maharaja Jaipur Palace and Toad Rock The Achalgarh fort, built in the 14th century by Rana Kumbha of Mewar is nearby and at its center is the popular visitor attraction of the Nakki Lake. There is the Toad Rock on a hill near the lake. The Durga temple, Ambika Mata Temple lies in a cleft of rock in Jagat, just outside of Mount Abu.

Climate

Summer Summer season prevails from mid of April to mid of June when average Maximum temperature remains around 36 °C. Therefore it will be better if you bring light cotton clothes. These clothes are fit for the summers of Mount Abu.  Monsoon Due to its relief and geographical conditions, it rains well in Mount Abu during the monsoons. During the rainy season even the temperature falls down. Normal summer clothing will do. It is wiser to carry an umbrella in order to avoid being caught at the wrong side of monsoon.
 Winter Winters are cool in Mount Abu, with mercury hovering around 16 °C to 22 °C. Nights are really chilly and average night temperature is around 4 to 12 °C. Nevertheless, there are instances when the temperature has dipped to as low as −2 to −3 °C. Heavy winter clothing is preferable. You can include long coats and outsiders in your luggage. In daytime, light pullovers are sufficient.

 Transportation

The nearest railway station is at Abu Road, in the lowlands 27 km southeast of Mount Abu town. The station is on the main Indian Railways line between Delhi,Palanpur and Ahmedabad.Its is very well connected with daily travels bus service from Ahmedabad and other big cities of Gujarat. It has regular trains for Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ajmer, Indore, Agra, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Ujjain, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Pune and weekly trains from Trivandrum(Kochu Veli)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Abu

Glaciers and river systems

Glaciers and river systems 

The Himalayan range encompasses about 15,000 glaciers, which store about 12,000 km3 of freshwater. The 70 km-long Siachen Glacier at the India-Pakistan border is the second longest glacier in the world outside the polar region. Some of the other more famous glaciers include the Gangotri and Yamunotri (Uttarakhand), Nubra, Biafo and Baltoro (Karakoram region), Zemu (Sikkim) and Khumbu glaciers (Mount Everest region). The higher regions of the Himalayas are snowbound throughout the year, in spite of their proximity to the tropics, and they form the sources for several large perennial rivers, most of which combine into two large river systems: The western rivers combine into the Indus Basin, of which the Indus River is the largest. The Indus begins in Tibet at the confluence of Sengge and Gar rivers and flows southwest through India and then through Pakistan to the Arabian Sea. It is fed by the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas, and the Sutlej rivers, among others. Most of the other Himalayan rivers drain the Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin. Its two main rivers are the Ganges and the Brahmaputra and the Yamuna, among other tributaries. The Brahmaputra originates as the Yarlung Tsangpo River in western Tibet, and flows east through Tibet and west through the plains of Assam. The Ganges and the Brahmaputra meet in Bangladesh, and drain into the Bay of Bengal through the world's largest river delta.The eastern-most Himalayan rivers feed the Ayeyarwady River, which originates in eastern Tibet and flows south through Myanmar to drain into the Andaman Sea. The Salween, Mekong, Yangtze and the Huang He (Yellow River) all originate from parts of the Tibetan plateau that are geologically distinct from the Himalaya mountains, and are therefore not considered true Himalayan rivers. Some geologists refer to all the rivers collectively as the circum-Himalayan rivers. In recent years, scientists have monitored a notable increase in the rate of glacier retreat across the region as a result of global climate change.Although the effect of this will not be known for many years, it potentially could mean disaster for the hundreds of millions of people who rely on the glaciers to feed the rivers of northern India during the dry seasons. 

Lowland forests

Lowland forests

 On the Indo-Gangetic plain at the base of the mountains, an alluvial plain drained by the Indus and Ganges-Brahmaputra river systems, vegetation varies from west to east with rainfall. The xeric Northwestern thornscrub forests occupy the plains of Pakistan and the Indian Punjab. Further east lie the Upper Gangetic plains moist deciduous forests of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh and Lower Gangetic plains moist deciduous forests of Bihar and West Bengal. These are monsoon forests, with drought-deciduous trees that lose their leaves during the dry season. The moister Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests occupy the plains of Assam.

The Terai belt

 Above the alluvial plain lies the Terai strip, a seasonally marshy zone of sand and clay soils. The Terai has higher rainfall than the plains, and the downward-rushing rivers of the Himalaya slow down and spread out in the flatter Terai zone, depositing fertile silt during the monsoon season and receding in the dry season. The Terai has a high water table due to groundwater percolating down from the adjacent zone. The central part of the Terai belt is occupied by the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands, a mosaic of grasslands, savannas, deciduous and evergreen forests that includes some of the world's highest grasslands. The grasslands of the Terai belt are home to the Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis).

 Bhabhar belt 

Above the Terai belt is an upland zone known as the Bhabhar, a zone of porous and rocky soils made up of debris washed down from the higher ranges. The Bhabhar and the lower Shiwalik ranges have a subtropical climate. The Himalayan subtropical pine forests occupy the western end of the subtropical belt, with forests dominated by Chir Pine (Pinus roxburghii). The central part of the range is home to the Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests, dominated by the sal tree (Shorea robusta). They are at the foot of the

Himalayas where the Himalayan streams descend on to the plains.

Shiwalik Hills

 Also called Churia or Margalla Hills, Sivalik Hills is an intermittent outermost range of foothills extending across the Himalayan region through Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bhutan. This region consists of many sub-ranges. Summits are generally 600 to 1,200 meters (2,000 to 3,900 ft). Steeper southern slopes form along a fault zone called Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT); northern slopes are gentler. Permeable conglomerates and other rocks allow rainwater to percolate downslope into the Bhabhar and Terai, supporting only scrubby forests upslope. The Himalayan subtropical pine and broadleaf forests continue here.

 Inner Terai or Dun Valleys

 The Inner Terai valleys are open valleys north of Shiwalik Hills or nestled between Shiwalik subranges. Examples include Dehra Dun in India and Chitwan in Nepal. Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests grow here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayas

Himalayas

Himalayas 

The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains (play /ˌhɪməˈleɪ.ə/ or /hɪˈmɑːləjə/; Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range immediately at the north of the Indian subcontinent. By extension, it is also the name of a massive mountain system that includes the Karakoram, the Hindu Kush, and other, lesser, ranges that extend out from the Pamir Knot. Together, the Himalayan mountain system is the world's highest, and home to the world's highest peaks, the Eight-thousanders, which include Mount Everest and K2. To comprehend the enormous scale of this mountain range, consider that Aconcagua, in the Andes, at 6,962 metres (22,841 ft) is the highest peak outside Asia, whereas the Himalayan system includes over 100 mountains exceeding 7,200 m (23,600 ft).[3] However the Alleghenian mountains, formed during the formation of Pangaea, likely rivalled or exceeded the Himalayas in height.The main Himalayan range runs west to east, from the Indus river valley to the Brahmaputra river valley, forming an arc 2,400 km (1,500 mi) long, which varies in width from 400 km (250 mi) in the western Kashmir-Xinjiang region to 150 km (93 mi) in the eastern Tibet-Arunachal Pradesh region. The range consists of three coextensive sub-ranges, with the northernmost, and highest, known as the Great or Inner Himalayas. Some of the world's major river systems arise in the Himalayas, and their combined drainage basin is home to some 3 billion people (almost half of Earth's population) in 18 countries. The Himalayas have profoundly shaped the cultures of South Asia; many Himalayan peaks are sacred in Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Geologically, the origin of the Himalayas is the impact of the Indian tectonic plate traveling northward at 15 cm per year to impact the Eurasian continent, with first contact about 70 million years ago, and with movement continuing today. The formation of the Himalayan arc peaks eventually resulted from this, since the lighter rock of the seabeds of that time were easily uplifted into mountains. An often-cited fact used to illustrate this process is that the summit of Mount Everest is made of marine limestone.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayas

References

References

 Krulwich, Robert (April 7, 2007). "The 'Highest' Spot on Earth?". Retrieved 21 March 2009. ^ For Nepal, the heights indicated on the Nepal Topographic Maps are followed. For China and the Baltimore Karakoram, the heights are those of "The Maps of Snow Mountains in China". For the Hi spar Karakorum the heights on a Russian 1:100,000 topo map  seem to be more accurate than the customarily quoted heights probably based on US army maps from the 50s . Elsewhere, unless otherwise indicated, heights are those in Jill Neate's "High Asia". ^ Coordinates were established by comparing topographical maps with satellite images and SRTM-derived terrain maps. The terrain maps and satellite images often don't match exactly. An asterisk indicates that the map and image are shifted by more than 100 m  and/or that the landscapes around the summit don't match. ^ The prominence data were extracted from a combination of maps and computer aided analysis of NASA's 3" SRTM data. Prominences over 1,450 m were copied from this website. ^ Here defined as the first higher mountain beyond the key saddle with at least 500 m prominence itself. ^ The number of ascents and failed attempts up to 2004 is extracted from the Alpine Club Himalayan index. These are the number of expeditions (not individuals) that announced their ascent or attempt in a journal. They are probably quite accurate for the rarely climbed peaks (though omissions were noted), but greatly underestimate the number of ascending parties on the easier and/or more popular mountains, like most eight-thousanders. For instance, Mt Everest has been scaled 2,251 times by individuals up to 2004 . ^ Given the large differences between multiple "final" measurements of Mt Everest, the traditional 8,848 m is listed. For more information, see Mount Everest#Measurement. ^ Everest IS parent to K2 by the definition of topographic prominence. See also, the discussion page. ^ The highest (Eastern) summit of Saser Kangri II has just recently been climbed, August 24th, 2011  The lower West peak, 2.5 km away, has been climbed in 1984 and twice since. ^ According to the 1996 Himalayan Journal (pp.29-36), the highest point of the Kabru massif (the North summit) was climbed by an Indian Army team in May 1994 ^ The height is unknown, but over 7,200 meters on both Chinese and Russian maps of the area. ^ The name and information about this summit was extracted from the May 2003 edition of Japanese Alpine News.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest_mountains