Ladakh: The High-Altitude Indian Cold Desert

Abstract

The arid landscape of Ladakh provides a rare opportunity to peep into the history of Earth surface processes. Because of the scanty rainfall, Quaternary landforms are better preserved in this part of the Himalaya. Glaciation, which is considered as the main driver of climate change, has undoubtedly played a key role in shaping the landforms. The alluvial fan dominated mountain slopes and valleys owe their genesis to the fluvial sculpturing and re-sedimentation of the glaciogenic sediments following the periods of glacier recessions. Lacustrine deposits, although important in terms of their climatic significance, constitute a minor component of the Quaternary landforms but provide important climatic data towards improving our understanding of temporal changes in moisture variability. In spite of the fact that the terrain is a cold-arid desert, sand dunes are scanty and limited to the river beds or the mountain flanks suggesting a precarious balance between the wind intensity and sediment supply. It can be suggested that the Ladakh Himalaya is a fascinating laboratory for Quaternary geomorphologists to unravel the history of landforms in a high, tectonically active and arid terrain.