Drang-Drung Glacier
Drang-Drung Glacier
Map showing the location of Drang-Drung Glacier
Map showing the location of Drang-Drung Glacier
Drang-Drung Glacier
Location in India
Map showing the location of Drang-Drung Glacier
Map showing the location of Drang-Drung Glacier
Drang-Drung Glacier
Drang-Drung Glacier (India)
TypeMountain glacier
LocationHimalaya Range, Zanskar Range, Pensi La, Ladakh
Coordinates33°45′19″N 76°18′3″E / 33.75528°N 76.30083°E / 33.75528; 76.30083
Length23 km (14 mi)
Map

The Drang-Drung Glacier (also called Durung Drung Glacier) is a mountain glacier near the Pensi La pass on the Kargil-Zanskar Road[1] in the Kargil district of Ladakh in India.[2]

The Drang-Drung Glacier is likely to be the largest glacier in Ladakh after the Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram Range,[3] with a maximum length of 23 km (14 mi)[4] at an average elevation of 4,780 m (15,680 ft; 2.97 mi). The glacier lies in the northeastern Himalayan Range known as the Zanskar Range, 142 km (88 mi) south of Kargil and 331 km (206 mi) east of Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir.[5]

The Drang-Drung Glacier is a long river of ice and snow, a source of the Stod River,[2] a tributary of the Zanskar River, itself a tributary of the Indus River.[6] Doda Peak with an elevation of 6,550 m (21,490 ft; 4.07 mi) rises from the glacier.[7]

Drang Drung Glacier seen from Pensi La

Access

The Drang-Drung Glacier is accessible from Srinagar or Srinagar Airport in two days, 331 km (206 mi) by car or bus along NH 1D, which connects Srinagar and Leh through the towns of Ganderbal, Kangan, Sonamarg, and Dras. Kargil town is at the half-way point.[citation needed] From Kargil the glacier lies on the right side of Kargil-Zanaskar Road[1] which passes through a gorge of the Suru River and below two mountain peaks, Nun and Kun. After crossing the Pensi La mountain pass a trek of one day[1] from the road leads to the head of Drang-Drung glacier. The road is only open to traffic from May–September due to heavy snowfall at Zojila and Pensi La passes, and the best time to visit is July to August.[8][unreliable source?][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c Prem Singh Jina (1996). Ladakh: The Land and the People. Indus Publishing, 1996. p. 35. ISBN 978-81-7387-057-6. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  2. ^ a b Janet Rizvi (1996). Ladakh: Crossroads of High Asia. Oxford University Press, 1996. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-19-564016-8. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  3. ^ Jasbir Singh (2004). The Economy of Jammu & Kashmir. Radha Krishan Anand & Co. p. 223. ISBN 978-81-88256-09-9. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  4. ^ "Zanskar Range". himalayanclub.org. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Zanskar". rang7.com. Archived from the original (pdf) on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  6. ^ "Stod a tributary of Zanskar river". tourisminjammukashmir. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  7. ^ "Expeditions and notes". himalayanclub. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  8. ^ "Ladakh, Zanskar, Nubra, Kargil". travel.kashmironline.net. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
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