The Baltoro Glacier (; ) is a glacier located in the Shigar District of the

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative units of Pakistan, administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has b ...

region in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. It stretches for in length. It is one of the longest

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

s outside the polar regions. It is home to some of the world’s highest mountains. It runs through the

Karakoram The Karakoram () 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. Most of the Karakoram mountain range is withi ...

mountain range, close to K2, which is the second highest peak in the world, reaching an elevation of 8,611 meters (28,251 feet). Within a 20-kilometer radius, there are three more mountains with elevations exceeding 8,000 meters.The Fedchenko Glacier in the

Pamir Mountains The Pamir Mountains are a Mountain range, range of mountains between Central Asia and South Asia. They are located at a junction with other notable mountains, namely the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun Mountains, Kunlun, Hindu Kush and the Himalaya ...

of Tajikistan is 77 km long, the

Siachen Glacier The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range of the Himalayas, just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends in northeastern Kashmir. At long, it is the longest glaci ...

which lies southeast of the Baltoro is 70 km long, and the Biafo Glacier to the northwest of the Baltoro is 67 km long. Exact lengths are relatively easy to determine with modern maps and imagery so as to include recent glacial retreat. Measurements are from recent imagery, generally supplemented with Russian 1:200,000 scale topographic mapping as well as Jerzy Wala,''Orographical Sketch Map: Karakoram: Sheets 1 & 2'', Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research, Zurich, 1990.

Geography

It is located within the Shigar District of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. The Baltoro Glacier flows through a section of the

mountain range, bordered by the Baltoro Muztagh to the north and east, and the Masherbrum Mountains to the south. The region boasts K2 as its tallest peak, standing at 8,611 meters (28,251 feet) in elevation, with three additional mountains exceeding 8,000 meters within a 20-kilometer radius. Separated from the Baltoro Glacier by the Conway Saddle (or pass) is the

. The Baltoro Glacier serves as the source of the Braldo River, which, in turn, flows into the Shigar River as a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

. The Shigar River, in its course, acts as a tributary to the

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayas, Himalayan river of South Asia, South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northw ...

. Several large tributary glaciers feed the main Baltoro Glacier, including the Godwin-Austen Glacier, flowing south from K2; the Abruzzi and the various Gasherbrum Glaciers, flowing from the Gasherbrum group of peaks; the Vigne Glacier, flowing from Chogolisa, and the Yermandendu Glacier, flowing from Masherbrum. The confluence of the main Baltoro Glacier with the Godwin-Austen Glacier is known as Concordia; this location and K2 base camp are popular trekking destinations. The trough of this glacier is very wide. Small valley glaciers form icefalls where they meet the trunk glacier. The sidewalls vary from very steep to precipitous. The glacier has carved striations on the surrounding country rocks. Moving ice has formed depressions, which serve as basins for numerous glacial lakes. The glacier can be approached via the Balti town of Skardu.

List of peaks

A list of notable peaks adjacent to or near the Baltoro Glacier includes: * Biarchedi, 6,781 m * Broad Peak, 12th highest in the world at 8,047 m. * Chogolisa, 36th highest in the world at 7,665 m. * Gasherbrum III, 7,946 m. (Often regarded as a subpeak of Gasherbrum II.) * Gasherbrum II, 13th highest in the world at 8,035 m. * Gasherbrum IV, 17th highest in the world at 7,932 m. * Gasherbrum I, 11th highest in the world at 8,080 m. * K2, 2nd highest in the world at 8611m * Masherbrum (K1), 22nd highest in the world at 7,821 m. * Mitre Peak, 6,010 m. *

Muztagh Tower Muztagh Tower (), also Mustagh Tower; ''Muztagh'': icy mountain), is a mountain situated in Baltoro Muztagh, which is a segment of the Karakoram range. It straddles the border of the Gilgit–Baltistan region of Pakistan and the Xinjiang Uyghur ...

, 7,273 m. * Snow Dome, 7,160 m. * Trango Towers, 6,286 m. (Their vertical faces are the world's tallest cliffs.) * Uli Biaho Tower, 6,417 m.

Image gallery

File:Baltoro Glacier animation.gif, Looking NE towards K2, at top centre File:Baltoro Glacier, Pakistan.jpg, Close-up photo of the glacier File:Baltoro from Urdukas campsite.JPG, View of the Baltoro Glacier from Urdukas campsite File:Baltoro Glacial Mushroom.JPG, A glacial mushroom on Baltoro Glacier

References

External links

{{Authority control Baltistan Glaciers of Gilgit-Baltistan Glaciers of the Karakoram

Geography

List of peaks

Image gallery

See also

References

External links