Facts about Himalayan Mountains

The Indian mainland can be divided into five physiographic units namely, The Great Mountains of the North, The North Indian Plains, The Peninsular Plateau, The coastal plains and The Islands.

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Northern Mountains

  • The type of mountains of the north is Fold Mountains.
  • The Himalayas are the most well-known among all other mountain ranges. Besides this, the trans-Himalayan ranges and the Eastern Highlands or Purvanchal are the important units.
  • Himalayas are divided into three as Greater Himalayas (Himadri), Lesser Himalayas (Himachal), and Outer Himalayas (Shiwalik).
  • Greater Himalayas (Himadri) are Northernmost and highest part with an average altitude of 6,100 metre.
  • Lesser Himalayas (Himachal) are Middle Himalayas with a average height between 3,500 - 4,500 metres.
  • Outer Himalayas (Shiwalik) are southernmost range with an average height of 900 to 1,200 metres.

The Himalayas

  • The Himalayas are the highest and largest young fold mountain of the world.
  • The Himalayas lies between the river Indus and river Brahmaputra.
  • Himalayas means the abode of snow'.
  • The Himalayan chain extended about 2,500 km from west to east.
  • The width of the Himalayas varies between 150 and 400 km. It becomes narrower from west to east.
  • According to the plate tectonics theory, the Indian plate moved northwards and its forward edge penetrated below the southern edge of the Eurasian plate. This resulted in the folding and uplift of the Himalayas.
  • The Himalayas consist of three parallel ranges.
  • The southernmost range, called the Siwalik or the Outer Himalayas is the lowest.
  • The ranges lying north of the Siwalik are known as the Middle Himalayas or the Himachal or Lesser Himayalas.
  • The northernmost ranges of the Himalayas are known as Great Himalayas or the Himadri.
  • Greater Himalayas is the highest with an average height of more than 6,000 metres above the sea level.
  • The highest range of Himalayas is the greater Himalayas or Himadri. It is described as the heart of the entire Himalayan range.
  • The Himadri contain some of the world's highest peaks like Mount Everest, Kanchenjunga, Nandadevi, Nanga Parbat, Makalu and Dhaulagiri.
  • Mt. Everest (8848 m) located in Nepal is the world's highest peak.
  • Kanchenjunga in Sikkim is the highest peak of the Himalayas in India (8598m).
  • Nanga Parbat means naked mountain. It is also called Diamir. It is in Jammu & Kashmir.
  • To the south of the Central Himalayas lies the second major range, the Lesser or Lower or Middle Himalayas or Himachal.
  • It is separated from the Great Himalayas by the structural zone called the Main Central Thrust Zone.
  • The average height of lesser himalayas is 3700 - 4500m.
  • The Himalayan rivers have cut deep gorges in the Himachal.
  • In the Lesser Himalayas, slate, limestones and quartzites are the dominant rocks.
  • This range holds some of India's famous hill stations like Dalhouise, Nainital, Simla, Mussorie and Darjeeling.
  • Gulmarg of Jammu and Kashmir states is the highest hill station.
  • The Himalayas are known for some of the beautiful valleys of the world. The Kashmir valley is a classical example. It is rightly described as ‘paradise on the earth’.
  • The other important valleys are Kulu and Kangrain Himachal Pradesh.
  • The southernmost range of the Himalayan system is called outer or sub-Himalayas or Siwaliks.
  • This range is clearly distinguished only in the western part of the Himalayas.
  • It is not a continuous range like the other ranges.
  • Unlike the other ranges this mountain range is made up of mud and soft rocks.
  • The Siwalik is prone to landslides and earth - quakes.
  • There are broad longitudinal valley's known as ' Dunes'. Dunes are Made up of gravel and alluvial soil.
  • The Himalayas are regionally divided into Punjab Himalayas, Kumaon Himalayas, Nepal Himalayas snd Assam Himalayas.
  • Punjab Himalayas lies between Indus and Sutlej (560 km). Kumaon Himalayas lies between Sutlej and Kali (320 km), Nepal Himalayas lies between Kali and Teesta (800 km), Assam Himalayas lies between Teesta and Dihang (720 km).

Trans Himalayas

  • The Himalayan Ranges to the north of the Great Himalayan Range are called Trans Himalayas.
  • The Trans - Himalayas is a region of lofty mountains and vast glaciers.
  • The main ranges of the Trans Himalayas are Karakoram, Ladakh, Zaskar and the Kailash.
  • The Peak Mount K2 (Mt. Godwin Austin 8611m) is in the Karakoram Range.
  • In the Trans Himalayas, there are several gorges and mountain passes. It has an average height of above 6000 m.
  • Karakoram range is about 500 km in length and is the most heavily glaciated part of the world outside the polar regions.
  • The world's second and third longest glaciers outside the polar regions, the Siachen Glacier (70 km), the Biafo Glacier (63 km), Hispar etc are in Trans Himalayan ranges.
  • Ladakh range stretches southeastward for around 370 km from the origin of the Shyok River in the Ladakh area to the Tibetan border.
  • The Ladakh range has no major peaks. Its average altitude is slightly less than 6000 metres and few of its passes are slightly less than 5000 m.
  • Mountain Rakaposhi (steepest peak) is the highest peak of this range.
  • Zaskar range extends towards the western part of Great Himalayas.
  • The second highest peak of Himalayan range in India is Nanga parhat lies in the Zaskar range.
  • Waga range forms the watershed between Nagaland and Manipur.

Eastern hills or Purvanchal

  • Purvanchal also called Eastern Highlands lies along the Eastern border of India with Myanmar
  • Some of the prominent features of the range include steep slopes, Conical peaks and deep valleys.
  • The `Patkai Burn' forms the boundary between India (Arunachal Pradesh) and Myanmar.
  • There are three hill ranges that come under the Patkai or the Purvanchal. They are the Pataki-Burn, the Garo - Khasi - Jaintia and the Lushai Hills.
  • The weather ranges from temperate to alpine due to altitude.

Passes in Himalayas

  • Niti Pass - Zaskar Ranges
  • Dharma - Zaskar Ranges
  • Pir Panjal - Pir Panjal Range
  • Banihal - Main gateway to the valley of Kashmir from the plains of India
  • Bolan - Between Kirthar and Sulaiman Range
  • Khybar - North of Sulaiman range
  • Gomal - North of Kirthar
  • Mala - Zaskar Range
  • Nathu La - Sikkim Himalaya
  • Jelep La - Sikkim Himalaya