Sudden Change of Glacier course

Sudden Change of Glacier course

Part of: Prelims and GS-III – Climate change 

Context Scientists have recently found that Nearly 20,000 years ago, a large Himalayan glacier “abruptly” changed course and over time fused into an adjacent glacier in present-day Pittoragarh, Uttarakhand.

• This finding has been recorded in the Himalayas for the first time.

• Cause of the change: Change in climate and tectonic movement.

• • Its accumulated debris caused it to turn from a north-eastern direction to a south-eastern course.

• Methods used for the study: Remote sensing and an old survey map

• The unnamed glacier lies in an extremely inaccessible region.

Young Himalayan region

• Himalayan region is among the youngest mountain ranges in the world due to which the supporting underlying tectonic plates are not stable and frequently trigger earthquakes and landslides.