The Central Makran Range is a
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...
in the
Makran
Makran (), also mentioned in some sources as ''Mecran'' and ''Mokrān'', is the southern coastal region of Balochistan. It is a semi-desert coastal strip in the Balochistan province in Pakistan and in Iran, along the coast of the Gulf of Oman. I ...
region, in southwestern section of
Balochistan Province
Balochistan (; ; , ) is a province of Pakistan. Located in the southwestern region of the country, Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by land area but is the least populated one. It is bordered by the Pakistani provinces of Khybe ...
, in southwestern
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# ...
.
Geography
It is one of three ranges in the mountain ranges system of the province. The range's peaks are in elevation.
Mirani Dam
Mirani Dam () is on the Dasht River, south of the Central Makran Range in Kech District in Balochistan province of Pakistan. Its reservoir is fed by the Kech and the Nihing rivers, which join at Mirani Dam to form the Dasht River. Mirani Dam w ...
across the
Dasht River
The Dasht River () is located in the Makran region and Gwadar District, in the southwestern section of Balochistan Province, Pakistan which drains near Jiwani.
Tributaries
The Kech River which flows through Kech valley is the eastern tributary o ...
forms a reservoir in the range, to provide irrigation water in the region and drinking water for the city of
Gwadar
Gwadar (, ) is a Port, port city on the southwestern coast of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochistan. The city is located on the shores of the Arabian Sea, opposite Oman and has a populati ...
.
Geology
The Central Makran Range is primarily made up of
limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
and
sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
. It was formed when the northwestern
Indian Plate
The Indian plate (or India plate) is or was a minor tectonic plate straddling the equator in the Eastern Hemisphere. Originally a part of the ancient continent of Gondwana, the Indian plate broke away from the other fragments of Gondwana an ...
collided with the
Asian Plate.
Adjacent ranges
There are three main ranges in Balochistan:
*the
Makran Coastal Range
Makran Coastal Range is a mountain range in the Makran region, in southwestern section of Balochistan (Pakistan), Balochistan Province, in southwestern Pakistan. It is one of three mountain ranges system in the province. The range rises to aroun ...
(up to about );
*the Central Makran Range ();
*the
Siahan Range
The Siahan Range is a mountain range in the central part of Balochistan (Pakistan), Balochistan Province of southwestern Pakistan. The Siahan Range is primarily made up of limestone and sandstone and was formed when the north western Indian Plat ...
().
See also
*
Geography of Balochistan, Pakistan
Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...
*
Makran
Makran (), also mentioned in some sources as ''Mecran'' and ''Mokrān'', is the southern coastal region of Balochistan. It is a semi-desert coastal strip in the Balochistan province in Pakistan and in Iran, along the coast of the Gulf of Oman. I ...
References
External links
NASA Images: Makran Ranges
CMakran
CMakran
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