Karakoram

Karakoram is a mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, China, and India, located in the regions of Gilgit, Ladakh and Baltistan. It is one of the Greater Ranges of Asia, often considered together with the Himalaya, but not technically part of that range. The Karakoram is home to more than sixty peaks above 7,000m (22,960 ft), including K2, the second highest peak of the world (8,611 m, 28,244 ft). Most of these peaks are in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. The range is about 500 km (300 mi) in length, and is the most heavily glaciated part of the world outside of the polar regions. Karakoram means "black gravel" in Turkish, as many of the surrounding glaciers are covered in rubble.

The Karakoram is bounded on the northeast by the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, and on the north by the Wakhan Corridor and the Pamir Mountains. To the southwest lies the Hindu Raj range. The southern boundary of the Karakoram is formed by the Gilgit, Indus, and Shyok Rivers, which separate the range from the northwestern end of the Himalaya range proper.

Due to its altitude and ruggedness, the Karakoram is much less inhabited than parts of the Himalayas further east. European explorers first visited early in the 19th century, followed by British surveyors starting in 1856.

The Muztagh Pass was crossed in 1887 by the expedition of Colonel Francis Younghusband and the valleys above the Hunza River were explored by George Cockerill in 1892. Explorations in the 1910s and 1920s established most of the geography of the region.

Geological importance

The Karakoram and the Himalaya are important to Earth scientists for several reasons. They are one of the world's most geologically active areas, at the boundary between two colliding continents. Therefore, they are important in the study of plate tectonics. Mountain glaciers may serve as an indicator of climate change, advancing and receding with long-term changes in temperature and precipitation. These extensive ranges may have even caused climate change when they were formed over 40 million years ago. The large amounts of rock exposed to the atmosphere are weathered (broken down) by carbon dioxide. This process removes the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere, and could have caused the global climate to cool, triggering an ongoing series of ice ages.

Highest peaks

Most of the highest of Karakoram peaks are in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Notable peaks are:

K2 (Qogir Feng) (8,611 m)
Gasherbrum I (8,068 m)
Broad Peak (Phalchen Kangri) (8,047 m)
Gasherbrum II (8,035 m)
Gasherbrum IV (7,925 m)
Distaghil Sar (7,885 m)
Masherbrum (7,821 m)
Rakaposhi (7,788 m)
Kanjut Sar (7,761 m)
Saser Kangri (7,672 m)
Chogolisa (7,665m)
Haramosh Peak (7,397 m)
The Ogre (7,285 m)
Muztagh Tower (7,273 m)

The majority of the highest peaks are either in the Baltistan or Ladakh regions. Baltistan has more than 100 mountain peaks exceeding 20,000 feet height from sea level. The longest glaciers outside the polar region, reaching 90 miles in length, are also situated in Baltistan and Ladakh.

Subranges

The naming and division of the various subranges of the Karakoram is not universally agreed upon. However the following is a list of the most important subranges, following Jerzy Wala.Jerzy Wala, Orographical Sketch Map of the Karakoram, Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research, Zurich, 1990. The ranges are listed roughly west to east.

References

Curzon, George Nathaniel. 1896. The Pamirs and the Source of the Oxus. Royal Geographical Society, London. Reprint: Elibron Classics Series, Adamant Media Corporation. 2005. ISBN 1402159838 (pbk; ISBN 1402130902 (hbk).

External links

Sites along the Silk Road | Mountain ranges of Pakistan | Mountain ranges of Asia | Karakoram

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Geological importance

Highest peaks

Subranges

References

See also

External links