Shyok River
| Shyok River | |
|---|---|
 Shyok River | |
 Course of the Shyok | |
| Location | |
| Country | India, Pakistan |
| Territory | Ladakh (India), Gilgit-Baltistan (Pakistan) |
| District | Leh (India), Ghanche (Pakistan) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • coordinates | 35°21′N 77°37′E / 35.35°N 77.62°E |
| Mouth | Indus River |
• coordinates | 35°14′N 75°55′E / 35.23°N 75.92°E |
| Basin size | 33,465 km2 (12,921 sq mi)[1] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Yugo gauging station, Pakistan.[2] |
| • average | 1041 m3/sec |
| • minimum | 859 m3/sec |
| • maximum | 1199 m3/sec |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Indus River |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Chip Chap River, Galwan River, Chang Chenmo River |
| • right | Nubra River, Hushe River |
 | |
The Shyok River is a tributary of the Indus River that flows through northern Ladakh in India and enters Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan, spanning approximately 550 km (340 mi).[3][4][5]
Etymology
[edit]The name Shyok (or Shayog) is derived from Tibetan ཤག་མ (shag) 'gravel' + གཡོག་ (gyog) 'to spread' and therefore means 'gravel spreader', referring to the large quantities of gravel that the river deposits when it floods.[6] The name is sometimes incorrectly glossed as 'river of death'.[7]
Course
[edit]It originates at the Rimo Glacier and follows an unusual course. Initially flowing southeast, it turns northwest upon meeting the Pangong Range, running nearly parallel to its earlier path. The Shyok Valley widens at the confluence with the Nubra River but then narrows abruptly into a gorge near Yagulung (34°46′N 77°08′E / 34.77°N 77.14°E), continuing through the villages of Bogdang, Turtuk, and Tyakshi before entering Baltistan. The valley widens again near the junction with the Saltoro River at Ghursay. The river ultimately joins the Indus at Keris, east of the town of Skardu.[8]
The Nubra River, originating from the Siachen Glacier, follows a similarly unusual path. Before reaching Diskit, it flows southeast but turns northwest after meeting the Shyok. The parallel behavior of these two rivers may reflect a series of Paleolithic fault lines trending northwest–southeast, which likely influenced the courses of their upper reaches.
Tributaries
[edit]The Chang Chen Mo River originates near Pamzal in the Changchinmo plains of Ladakh and flows westward until it merges with the Shyok.[citation needed]
The Galwan River, located in the southern part of Aksai Chin, originates near Samzungling and flows westward to join the Shyok.[citation needed]
The Nubra River, a major tributary, flows through the Ladakh region and joins the Shyok before the latter flows into the Indus.[citation needed]
The Saltoro River begins near the slopes of Saltoro Kangri and flows southwest. Another branch rises from the western Siachen Glacier and joins the main stream near Dumsum village. North of the Ghursay Valley, it merges with the Hushe River, which originates near Masherbrum Peak, before flowing into the Shyok.[citation needed]
Valley
[edit]The Shyok Valley is the valley of the Shyok River. It is near 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.
Tourism
[edit]Siachen Base Camp tourist adventure, many monasteries, Pangong Tso etc. are tourism opportunities.
Gallery
[edit]-
The Shyok River in Khaplu Valley -
Kharfaq and Yugu -
Road marker map
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Farooq, Muhammad Umar; Kharal, Muhammad Ashiq; Bogacki, Wolfgang; Ismail, Muhammad Fraz; Mehmood, Asif (2023). "Estimation of component-wise runoff contribution using temperature index approach, in a snow- and glacier-fed transboundary Shyok River catchment of the Upper Indus Basin". Arabian Journal of Geosciences. 16 (8). doi:10.1007/s12517-023-11583-y.
Shyok River is a transboundary stream that has a catchment area of 33,465 km2 over three countries; Pakistan 28%, India 54%, and China 18%.
- ^ Tarar, Zeeshan Riaz; Ahmad, Sajid Rashid; Ahmad, Iftikhar; Majid, Zahra (2018). "Detection of Sediment Trends Using Wavelet Transforms in the Upper Indus River". Water. 10 (7). doi:10.3390/w10070918.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Negi, Sharad Singh (1991). Himalayan Rivers, Lakes, and Glaciers. Indus Publishing Company. pp. 124–125. ISBN 9788185182612.
- ^ Kaul, Hriday Nath (1998). Rediscovery of Ladakh. Indus Publishing Company. pp. 30–31. ISBN 9788173870866.
- ^ "Shyok River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ^ Peter, Friedrich A. (1977). "Glossary of Place Names in Western Tibet". The Tibet Journal. 2 (2). Library of Tibetan Works and Archives: 26–27. JSTOR 43299854.
- ^ Kapadia, Harish (1999). Across Peaks & Passes in Ladakh, Zanskar & East Karakoram. Indus Publishing Company. p. 230. ISBN 9788173871009.
Shyok: river of death. (Sheo: death).
- ^ Bennett-Jones, Owen; Brown, Lindsay; Mock, John (2004). Pakistan & the Karakoram Highway. Lonely Planet Regional Guides (6th Revised ed.). Lonely Planet Publications. p. 306. ISBN 9780864427090.
Further reading
[edit]- Paul, Abdul Qayoom; Bahuguna, Harish; Kumar, Parveen (2024). "A glaciotectonic landform in the Shyok valley, Trans-Himalayan Karakoram Range, India". Journal of Glaciology. 70 (e44). doi:10.1017/jog.2024.22.
External links
[edit]
- On Death Trail – Shyok, a travelogue and exploration account by Harish Kapadia
- Shyok River at India9.com
- Photo galleries of the Shyok and Nubra Valleys (in German)
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