Length 550 km | Countries India, Pakistan | |
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The Shyok River (literally "the river of death" in Yarkandi Uyghur) flows through northern Ladakh in India and the Ghangche District of Gilgit–Baltistan, spanning some 550 km (340 mi).
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Map of Shyok
The Shyok River, a tributary of the Indus River, originates from the Rimo Glacier, one of the tongues of Siachen Glacier. The river widens at the confluence with the Nubra River. The alignment of the Shyok river is very unusual, originating from the Rimo glacier, it flows in a southeasterly direction and, joining the Pangong range, it takes a northwestern turn, flowing parallel to its previous path. The Shyok flows in a wide valley, suddenly entering a narrow gorge after Chalunka, continuing through Turtuk and Tyakshi before crossing into Pakistan. The Shyok joins the Indus at Keris, to the east of the town of Skardu.
The Nubra river, originating from the Siachen glacier, also behaves like the Shyok. Before Tirkit, the SE flowing river Nubra takes a NW turn on meeting the river Shyok. The similarity in the courses of these two important rivers probably indicates a series of paleo fault lines trending NW-SE in delimiting the upper courses of the rivers. The importance of the Indus and the Shyok rivers is in the deposition of the thick Quaternary sediments—a treasure trove for geology researchers.
Shyok valley
The Shyok Valley is the valley of the Shyok River situated in Ladakh. The valley is close to the Nubra Valley.
Khardung La on the Ladakh Range lies north of Leh and is the gateway to the Shyok and Nubra valleys. The Siachen Glacier lies partway up the latter valley.