The Shyok River is a tributary of the

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

that flows through northern

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu a ...

and enters Gilgit–Baltistan, spanning some . The Shyok River originates at the

Rimo Glacier __NOTOC__ The Rimo Muztagh is one of the most remote subranges of the Karakoram range. The southern part of Rimo Muztagh is in the Ladakh portion of far northwestern India, also claimed by Pakistan. The northern half, including the Rimo ma ...

, one of the tongues of

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

. Its alignment is very unusual, originating from the Rimo glacier, it flows in a southeasterly direction and, joining the Pangong range, it takes a northwestern turn, flowing parallel to its previous path. Shyok Valley widens at the confluence with the Nubra River but suddenly turns into a narrow gorge near Yagulung (), continuing through Bogdang, Turtuk and Tyakshi before crossing into Baltistan. The valley again widens near its Saltoro River junction at Ghursay. The river joins the Indus at Keris, east of the town of

Skardu , nickname = , motto = , image_skyline = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Gilgit Baltistan#Pakistan , pushpin_label_position ...

. The Nubra River, originating from the Siachen glacier, also behaves like the Shyok. Before Diskit, the southeasterly flowing river Nubra takes a northwest turn on meeting the river Shyok. The similarity in the courses of these two important rivers probably indicates a series of paleolithic fault lines trending northwest-southeast in delimiting the upper courses of the rivers.

Name

The name ''Shyok'' (or ''Shayog'') is derived from Tibetan ཤག་མ (''shag'') 'gravel' + གཡོག་ (''gyog'') 'to spread' and therefore means 'gravel speader', referring to the large quantities of gravel that the river deposits when it floods. The name is sometimes incorrectly glossed as 'river of death'.

Valley

The Shyok Valley is the valley of the Shyok River. It is near the Nubra Valley. Khardung La on the Ladakh Range lies north of

Leh Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former ...

and is the gateway to the Shyok and Nubra valleys. The

lies partway up the latter valley.

Tributaries

The Chang Chen Mo River is formed in the vicinity of Pamzal in Changchinmo plains of Ladakh and flows westward. It ends when it empties into the Shyok River. The Galwan River is in the southern part of

Aksai Chin Aksai Chin is a region administered by China as part of Hotan County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang and Rutog County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet. It is claimed by India to be a part of its Leh District, Ladakh Union Territory. It is a part of ...

, Galwan originates in the area of Samzungling and flowing to the west joins the Shyok River. The Nubra River is a tributary of the Shyok River, which flows into the Indus River. It flows in the

region of

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. The Saltoro River begins in the skirts of the

Saltoro Kangri Saltoro Kangri, formerly known as Peak 36, is the highest peak of the Saltoro Mountains subrange of Karakoram range, also known as the Saltoro Range, which is a part of the Karakoram. Saltoro Kangri is a name generally used for the twin peaks, S ...

peak ridge and flows to the southwest. Another branch starts from the western Siachen glaciers and flows to the west to join it at Dumsum village. North of the Ghursay Valley, it meets Mashburm Peak's Hushe River and empties into Shyok River just southwest.

Gallery

File:View of bridge over Shyok River, Khaplu.jpg, Shyok in Khaplu Valley File:Shiyok River.jpg, Kharfaq and Yugu File:Shoyok and Nubra Valley map.jpg, Road marker map

References

*Sharad Singh Negi: ''Himalayan Rivers, Lakes, and Glaciers''. Indus Publishing 1991, *H. N. Kaul: ''Rediscovery of Ladakh''. Indus Publishing 1998, , p. 30-31
restricted online version (Google Books)

Footnotes

External links

''Shyok River''
at the

Encyclopædia Britannica The ( Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various ...

Shyok River
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"Shyok Valley Project - An Experiment In Suof Jammu and Kashmir"
Tributaries of the Indus River Rivers of India International rivers of Asia Karakoram Rivers of Ladakh Rivers of Gilgit-Baltistan