General Classification of Himalayas: Trans Himalayas

Basics

• Location: Himalayan ranges immediately north of the Great Himalayan range.
• Other Name: Also called the Tibetan Himalayas because most of it lies in Tibet.
• Length and Direction: 1,000 km in the east-west direction
• Average Elevation: 5000 m above mean sea level
• Average Width: 40 km at the extremities and about 225 km in the central part.
• Part of: Geologically not part of the Himalayas.
• Peak: Mount K2/ Godwin Austen is the second-highest peak in the world and the highest peak in the Indian Union.
• Major Glacier: The highest battleground is the Siachen Glacier.

Major Ranges

1. Karakoram Range
   • Also called the Krishnagiri range
   • Average elevation – 5500m
   • Extends from the Pamir for 800km
   • Major pass – Karakoram pass
   • The Ladakh Plateau lies to the north-east of the Karakoram Range. It has been dissected into a number of plains and mountains (Soda Plains, Aksai Chin, Lingzi Tang, Depsang Plains, and Chang Chenmo).
2. Ladakh Range
   • North of Zaskar range.
   • Merges with the Kailash range in Tibet.
   • Major Pass – Khardungla 
3. Kailas Range
   • An offshoot of the Ladakh range.
   • Highest Peak – Mount Kailash
   • River Indus originates from this range.
   • It is located in Tibet.