Glaciers in Himachal Pradesh | HPPSC HPAS Preparation - HPPSC HPAS (Himachal Pardesh) PDF Download

Glacier

A glacier is a large mass of ice that forms on land through the compaction and recrystallization of snow under specific conditions. These conditions include:

• Accumulation Zone: An area where more snow or ice accumulates than melts. This is the region where the glacier begins.
• Ablation Zone: An area where more snow or ice melts than accumulates, which results in the wasting away of the glacier.
• Ice Movement: There is a slow transfer or movement of the ice mass from the accumulation zone to the ablation zone.

Types of Glaciers

Glaciers come in various shapes and sizes, with the main morphological types being:

• Cliff and Cirque Glaciers
• Continental Ice Sheets
• Valley Glaciers

In Himachal Pradesh, glaciers are referred to as “Shigri” in the local language. Bara Shigri is the largest glacier in Himachal Pradesh, situated in the Chandra Valley of Lahaul and feeding the Chenab River.

Major Glacial Zones in Himachal Pradesh

There are four major glacier concentrations in Himachal Pradesh:

• Bara Banghal: Located between Kangra, Kullu, Chamba, and Lahaul valleys, feeding the Ravi River.
• Lahaul-Spiti and Kullu Zone: This zone contains glaciers feeding tributaries of the Beas River.
• Tri-junction of Kullu, Kinnaur, and Spiti: This zone feeds tributaries of the Beas and Satluj Rivers.
• Chandra Valley in Lahaul: Another significant glacier zone feeding the Chenab River.

District-wise Distribution of Glaciers

• Lahaul-Spiti: Notable glaciers include Bara Shigri, Chhota Shigri, Pacha, Kulti, Shipting, Ding Karmo, Tapn, Gyephang (also called the "Manimahesh of Lahaul"), Shili, Shamundri, Bolunag, Taragiri, Chandra, Bhaga, Kugti, Lainghar, Doksha, Nilkanth, Milang, Mukkila, Miyar, Lady of Keylong, Gangstang, Perad, Sonapani, Gora, Takdung, Manthora, Karpat, Ulthampu, and Tharong.
• Kangra: Includes the Bhadal glacier.
• Kullu: Glaciers such as Parvati, Dudhon, and Beas Kund.
• Shimla: Chandra Nahan glacier is located here.

Additional Information About Glaciers in Himachal Pradesh

• Most glaciers in Himachal Pradesh are found in the Greater Himalayas.
• Bara Shigri Glacier, located in the Chandra Valley, feeds the Chandra River and is the largest glacier in Lahaul subdivision.
• Bara Shigri glacier spans 25 km in length and 3 km in width.
• Captain Harcourt was the first to explore Bara Shigri in 1869 AD.
• Stephenson trekked the Bara Shigri glacier in 1858 AD.
• In 1970, Major Baljit Singh of the Indian Army scaled Bara Shigri.
• Members of the Geological Survey of India, Walker and E.H. Pascoe, visited Bara Shigri in 1906 AD.
• The Himalayan Mountain System contains over 5000 glaciers, with 2500 glaciers in the Himachal region.
• The Lady of Keylong is a glacier that appears to have a dark patch in the shape of a female figure, which is how it got its name.
• European traveler Andrew Wilson referred to Lahaul as the "Valley of Glaciers" in 1873 AD.
• The Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment (SASE), a branch of the Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO), is based in Manali.
• The Sonapani Glacier was first surveyed by Walker and Pascoe in 1906.
• Both the Sonapani and Gyephang glaciers are visible from the Ridge Ground in Shimla.