Sulaiman Mountains

The Sulaiman Mountains, also known as Kōh-e Sulaymān, Kasē Ghrūna Da Suleiman Ghruna (Pashto: د كسې غرونه ، د سلیمان غرونه; "Mountains of Qaes/Kasi and Solomon") ( Balochi:; "Mountains of Solomon") are a north–south extension of the southern Hindu Kush mountain system in eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan. They are also known as Aparanchal Range or Western Mountains (Sanskrit: अपरा; romanised: Aparā; literally: "West"; आंचल; romanised: ānchal; literally: "mountains" or "mountainous region"), as they mark the westernmost boundary of the Indian Subcontinent. They rise to form the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau. They are located in the Kandahar, Zabul and Paktia Provinces of Afghanistan, and in Pakistan they extend over the northern part of Balochistan, Waziristan and Kurram of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In southwestern Punjab, the mountains extend into the Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur Districts, which are located west of the Indus River on the boundary with Balochistan. Bordering the mountains to the east are the plains of the Indus River valley, and to the north are the arid highlands of the Central Hindu Kush whose heights extend up to . The total area on which this range spans around . Together with the Kirthar Mountains on the border between Balochistan and Sindh Province, the Sulaiman Mountains form the Sulaiman-Kirthar geologic province.

The most well-known peak of the Sulaimans is the twin-peaked Takht-e-Sulaiman or "Throne of Prophet Solomon" at , located near Darazinda in Dera Ismail Khan Subdivision, close to the border with both South Waziristan and the Zhob District of neighboring Balochistan province. The highest peak is Zarghun Ghar at near Quetta. The next highest peak in Balochistan province is Khilafat Hill at located in the Ziarat District of Pakistan and is famous for the Ziarat Juniper Forest, where '' Juniperus macropoda'' trees grow.

Geography

The eastern edge of the Sulaiman range runs from the Gomal Pass in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to near the city of Jacobabad in Sindh province, and further stretches into south-west Punjab.

In Afghanistan, the western edge of the range starts just beyond the northern Loya Paktia province where they meet the Koh-i-Baba range. South from there, they meet the Spin Ghar range northeast of Gardez in Paktia province, but towards west, the mountain range drops gradually in Kandahar southwest into Helmand and the Sistan Basin.

The Sulaiman Range, and the high plateaus to the west of it, helps form a natural barrier against the humid winds that blow from the Indian Ocean, creating arid conditions across southern and central Afghanistan to the west and north. In contrast, the relatively flat and low-lying Indus delta is situated due east and south of the Sulaimans.

Rivers that drain the Sulaimans include the Gomal River which flows eastward into the Indus River, and the Dori River and other small tributaries of the Arghandab River, which flow southwestward into the Helmand River.

Geology

The Sulaimans were formed as a fold and thrust belt as the Indian Plate collided into Eurasian Plate beginning about 30 million years ago. The Indian Plate's counter-clockwise rotation as it collided with the Eurasian Plate resulted in the Sulaiman's having some of the most complex tectonic structures in the world, including "stacking" of thrust faults. The complex fault-system is capable of producing doublet earthquakes