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Second-highest mountain range on Earth
- The Karakoram is the second-highest mountain range on Earth and part of a complex of ranges that includes the Pamir Mountains, Hindu Kush, and Himalayas.
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The Karakoram (/ ˌ k ɑːr ə ˈ k ɔːr əm, ˌ k ær-/) is a mountain range in the Kashmir region spanning the border of Pakistan, China, and India, with the northwestern extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
- Overview
- Physiography
- Glaciation and drainage
- Geology
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
Karakoram Range, great mountain system extending some 300 miles (500 km) from the easternmost extension of Afghanistan in a southeasterly direction along the watershed between Central and South Asia. Found there are the greatest concentration of high mountains in the world and the longest glaciers outside the high latitudes. The Karakorams are part...
The Karakorams consist of a group of parallel ranges with several spurs. Only the central part is a monolithic range. The width of the system is about 150 miles (240 km); the length is increased from 300 miles (500 km) to 500 miles (800 km) if its easternmost extension—the Chang Chenmo (Chinese: Qiangchenmo) and Pangong ranges of the Plateau of Tibet—is included. The system occupies about 80,000 square miles (207,000 square km). The average elevation of mountains in the Karakorams is about 20,000 feet (6,100 metres), and four peaks exceed 26,000 feet (7,900 metres); the highest, K2 (Mount Godwin Austen), at 28,251 feet (8,611 metres), is the second highest peak in the world.
The topography is characterized by craggy peaks and steep slopes. The southern slopes are long and steep, the northern slopes steep and short. Cliffs and taluses (great accumulations of large fallen rocks) occupy a vast area. In the intermontane valleys, rocky inclines occur widely. Transverse valleys usually have the appearance of narrow, deep, steep ravines.
Because of their great height, the Karakorams exhibit heavy glaciation, particularly on the southern, more humid slopes. Glaciers of the central, highest mountains include Hispar, Chogo Lungma, Braldu, Biafo, Baltoro with its famous Concordia junction, and Siachen (which is some 45 miles [70 km] long). The snow line on the southern slopes of the Karakorams lies at an elevation of 15,400 feet (4,700 metres); glaciers extend down to 9,500 feet (2,900 metres). On the northern slopes the corresponding elevations are 19,400 feet (5,900 metres) and 11,600 feet (3,500 metres), respectively. Often, glaciers combine to form complex glacial systems occupying not just valleys but entire watersheds. Seasonal thawing of the glaciers gives rise to serious floods on the southern slopes. Traces of ancient glaciation are evident at elevations as low as 8,500 feet (2,600 metres) and 2,800 feet (850 metres) in the Indus River valley.
The Karakorams serve as a watershed for the basins of the Indus and Yarkand rivers. The formation of river channels, for the most part, occurs in the high-elevation zone, where the melted waters of seasonal and perpetual snows and glaciers feed the rivers. Suspended pulverized stone, or rock flour, makes glacial meltwater opaque. Rock flour and eroded material from the mountain channels give the Indus the highest suspended sediment load of any major river. Groundwater accumulates in the rocky talus and contributes to the flow throughout the year.
Structurally, the Karakorams originated from folding in the Cenozoic Era (i.e., during the past 65 million years). Granites, gneisses, crystallized schists, and phyllites dominate the geologic composition. To the south and north, the central rock core of the Karakorams is edged by a region of limestones and micaceous slates of the Paleozoic and (partly) Mesozoic eras (i.e., about 245 to 540 million years old). To the south the sedimentary rock is sometimes cut by intrusions of granite. The surfaces of certain areas expose slate, which yields more rapidly to weathering.
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At the end of the Mesozoic, the region of the Karakorams was characterized by great structural changes, and the Karakorams emerged as the result of intensive geologically recent upheavals. There is still frequent seismic activity in the region; some events are of great violence and often trigger massive rock and ice avalanches. Hot springs are found in several areas.
The climate of the Karakoram Range is for the most part semiarid and strongly continental. The southern slopes are exposed to the moist monsoon (rain-bearing) winds coming in from the Indian Ocean, but the northern slopes are extremely dry. On the lower and middle slopes, rain and snow fall in small quantities; average annual precipitation does not...
In the lower valleys almost all profuse vegetation is anthropogenic (i.e., affected by human activities). Mountain oases perched on rocky outcrops are watered by intricate irrigation channels from melting glaciers. The arid and rocky lower slopes support only discontinuous grazing areas, but extensive undulating pastures intersperse the high peaks. The Karakorams have upper and lower tree lines, the upper delimited by cold and the lower by aridity; within these lines is found only degraded, sparse tree cover. Willow, poplar, and oleander thickets occur along watercourses up to 10,000 feet (3,000 metres). Juniper is found on high slopes among seasonal snowfields. Shrubs of the genus Artemisia provide sparse cover on the lower slopes.
Hunting by the local populace, and especially by military troops stationed on the frontiers, has taken a severe toll on mountain wildlife. Marco Polo sheep, or argali, now breed only in the eastern Pamirs and migrate to the western Karakorams. Ladakh urials (wild sheep) inhabit the high, flatter mountains to the east, while Siberian ibex and markhors (both wild goats) negotiate the craggy slopes. Brown bears, lynx, and snow leopards are endangered species. The Khunjerab National Park in Pakistan and the contiguous Taxkorgan (Tash Kurghan) Nature Reserve in China serve as refuges for high-mountain animals. In the eastern margins, kiangs and several other wild ungulates, including a small number of wild yaks, roam the desolate plateau. Large raptors, notably Himalayan griffons, lammergeiers, and golden eagles, soar on the updrafts of mountain winds.
Apr 26, 2023 · Karakoram is the second highest mountain range in the world and is home to four of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000m above sea level. It is also home to K2, the second highest peak in the world, after Mount Everest.
Jul 5, 2021 · The Karakoram Mountain range forms the northwestern extension of the greater Himalayan Mountain system and is the world’s 2 nd highest mountain range that covers a total area of about 207,000 sq. km.
- Diptarka Ghosh
Several important rivers flow from, or through, the mountains of Kashmir into Pakistan. From the Pir Panjal Range flows the Jhelum River (which bisects the famous Vale of Kashmir); the Indus River descends between the Zaskar and Ladakh ranges; and the Shyok River rises in the Karakoram Range.
The Himalayas consists of four parallel mountain ranges from south to north: the Sivalik Hills on the south; the Lower Himalayan Range; the Great Himalayas, which is the highest and central range; and the Tibetan Himalayas on the north. The Karakoram are generally considered separate from the Himalayas.
Karakoram Range, Mountain system, south-central Asia. Extending 300 mi (480 km) from eastern Afghanistan to the Kashmir region, it is one of the highest mountain systems in the world; its loftiest peak is K2, at 28,251 ft (8,611 m) the world’s second highest peak.
