Abstract
The Vale of Kashmir is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. Nestled between the imposing Pir Panjal Range and the towering Karakoram Ranges, the bowl-shaped intermontane valley is studded with numerous freshwater lakes and green meadows. The Jhelum River meanders through the 135 km long valley and exits the oval-shaped basin through a deep gorge near Baramula. The valley preserves a unique landscape known as Karewa. These thick lacustrine and fluvial deposits, capped by loess, form high terrace-like features and cover nearly half the valley. The floodplain of the Jhelum River and the multiple lakes constitute the remaining part of the valley. It is generally agreed that the Kashmir Valley originated from the draining of a huge lake (the Karewa Lake), which was formed as a result of tectonic upheaval and subsequent tectonic uplift of the Pir Panjal and Zanskar Ranges. None of the Karewa deposits provide evidence of glaciers having existed during their deposition within the valley. The uplift of Pir Panjal at ~4.5 Ma not only triggered the deposition of Karewa sediments in the valley, but the elevated ranges formed an orographic barrier to the incoming southwest monsoon winds and enhanced the dependence of the valley on winter precipitation.
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Ganjoo, R.K. (2014). The Vale of Kashmir: Landform Evolution and Processes. In: Kale, V. (eds) Landscapes and Landforms of India. World Geomorphological Landscapes. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8029-2_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8029-2_11
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