Urdok Glacier

Last updated
Baltoro Muztagh
Location Xinjiang (China)
Coordinates 35°46′00″N76°45′45″E / 35.76667°N 76.76250°E / 35.76667; 76.76250
Length24-27 km
Highest elevation5,800 m
Lowest elevation4,300 m

The Urdok Glacier is found in the eastern Karakoram along the Shaksgam Valley or Trans-Karakoram Tract.

It separates the Siachen Muztagh in the east from the Baltoro Muztagh in the west. In the west and south, the glacier is framed by Gasherbrum I (8,068 m), Sia Kangri (7,422 m) and Urdok I (7,250 m). Runoff from the Urdok Glacier ultimately flows into the Shaksgam River.

The Urdok Glacier is largely covered by rock debris, which slows snowmelt. [1] Despite the presence of climate change, research has found that ice cliffs were growing in size on Urdok Glacier, compared to other glaciers in the region. [2] The Urdok Glacier is additionally characterized as a "surge-type" or "surge-modified" glacier, where its speed can increase rapidly. [3] The variability in the glacier's depth and speed has resulted in varying measurements in the glacier's overall length and size. Various figures have measured its length to be 24 km, [4] 25 km or 27 km. [5]

The Urdok Glacier has been known to exhibit "ice sails", a geological feature that appears as a sharp ridge or spike of melting ice protruding from the glacier surface. Also known as "ice pyramids" the feature has been documented across the Urdok Glacier in 2006 and 2014. [6]

References

  1. ↑ Thompson, Sarah; Benn, Douglas I.; Mertes, Jordan; Luckman, Adrian (June 2016). "Stagnation and mass loss on a Himalayan debris-covered glacier: processes, patterns and rates". Journal of Glaciology. 62 (233): 467–485. doi:10.1017/jog.2016.37. hdl: 10023/9312 . ISSN   0022-1430.
  2. ↑ Kneib, M.; Miles, E. S.; Buri, P.; Molnar, P.; McCarthy, M.; Fugger, S.; Pellicciotti, F. (October 2021). "Interannual Dynamics of Ice Cliff Populations on Debris‐Covered Glaciers From Remote Sensing Observations and Stochastic Modeling". Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. 126 (10). doi:10.1029/2021JF006179. ISSN   2169-9003. PMC   9285626 . PMID   35860443.
  3. ↑ Bhambri, R.; Hewitt, K.; Kawishwar, P.; Pratap, B. (2017-11-13). "Surge-type and surge-modified glaciers in the Karakoram". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 15391. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-15473-8. ISSN   2045-2322. PMC   5684366 . PMID   29133812.
  4. ↑ Glaciers of Asia—Glaciers of Pakistan Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World By John F. Shroder, Jr., and Michael P. Bishop. Edited by Richard S. Williams, Jr. and Jane G. Ferrigno. U. S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1386-F-4
  5. ↑ Raup, Bruce H. "GLIMS: Global Land Ice Measurements from Space". doi:10.7265/n5-rgi-60.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ↑ Evatt, Geoffrey William (November 2017). "The secret life of ice sails". Journal of Glaciology. 63 (242): 1–14.


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