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The Baltoro glacier is situated on the southern slopes of
the central Karakoram Range in the Baltistan area of Jammu
and Kashmir. The location of Boltoro is in a huge arena hemmed by
high peaks.
A Surrounding Of Snow
This glacier gives rise to the Shigar River, which is a tributary of the
Indus River. With a length of about 62-km, it is the second largest
glacier in the great Himalayan range. Large tributary glaciers feed the
main Baltoro glacier. These include a glacier from the southwestern slopes
of the Gasherbrum peak and a tributary glacier from the northwestern slope
of the Masherbrum peak, both in the Karakoram.
The trough of this glacier is very wide and its central part is a vast
snowfield. Small valley glaciers form icefalls where they meet the trunk
glacier. The sidewalls vary from very steep to precipitous. The Baltoro
glacier has carved striations on the surrounding country rocks. Moving ice
has formed depressions, which serve as basins for numerous glacial lakes.
ACCESSIBLE
The Baltoro glacier can be approached via Skardu in
Ladakh .