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( Image credit: NASA/ISS program)
FAST FACTS
Where is it? Karakoram range of mountains, Kashmir area, main Asia [35.50982304, 76.99307626]
What’s in the picture? 3 striated glaciers combining into a single ice mass
Who took the image? An unnamed astronaut on board the International Space Station
When was it taken? Aug. 15, 2023
This interesting astronaut image reveals a trio of “anomalous” ice masses combining in the heart of main Asia. The stripy glaciers are bucking a worldwide pattern by getting volume, in spite of the impacts of human-caused environment modification
The aerial image reveals the Lolofond glacier (top) and Teram Shehr glacier (bottom) combining with the Siachen glacier (center), together with a smaller sized unnamed tributary glacier. The ice masses lie in the Karakoram range of mountains, a mainly unoccupied location located along with the Himalayas in the Kashmir area, where the borders of India, Pakistan, China, Afghanistan and Tajikistan satisfy.
Siachen is Earth’s second-longest glacier beyond Greenland and Antarctica, and is around 47 miles (76 kilometers) long and 2.2 miles (3.5 km) throughout at its largest point, according to NASA’s Earth ObservatoryThe glacier begins around 19,000 feet (5,800 meters) above water level, while its end, or terminus, sits at an elevation of around 11,800 feet (3,600 m).
Each of the glaciers in the image is comprised of parallel striations, or lines, referred to as moraines, which are folds of ice abundant in dust and rock that get caught in between combining glaciers, according to the National Forest ServiceThere is an especially thick and dark moraine where Teram Shehr and the smaller sized unnamed glacier combine with Siachen.
Eagle-eyed readers might have the ability to identify some other uncommon functions in the image, consisting of a green-hued lake and 2 big pieces of white ice caught in a moraine within Siachen (both situated near the far left of the image).
Related: See all the very best pictures of Earth from area
The Siachen glacier is the second-longest ice mass within Earth’s midlatitudes. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Unlike the majority of Earth’s glaciers, which are quickly losing their ice as an outcome of environment modification, the Karakoram glaciers have actually broadened somewhat in volume over current years. “These gains — known as the ‘Karakoram anomaly’ — are yet to be fully explained, and scientists question how long they will persist,” Earth Observatory agents composed.
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Some scientists think that the abnormality can be described by regional weather condition patterns, while others argue that the dust and dirt in the glaciers’ moraines assist to insulate the ice from warming temperature levels, according to the National Snow and Ice Data CenterNeither description is completely accepted by the clinical neighborhood.
Siachen is contested area, declared by both India and Pakistan. Both nations have actually had a military existence near the glacier’s top considering that 1984 and have actually clashed on several celebrations. As an outcome, the Siachen glacier holds the title of Earth’s greatest battlefield, according to Guinness World Records (GWR).
Around 2,000 soldiers have actually passed away throughout the dispute, however nearly all of them were eliminated by “extreme weather conditions,” according to GWR.
Harry is a U.K.-based senior personnel author at Live Science. He studied marine biology at the University of Exeter before training to end up being a reporter. He covers a vast array of subjects consisting of area expedition, planetary science, area weather condition, environment modification, animal habits and paleontology. His current deal with the solar optimum won “best space submission” at the 2024 Aerospace Media Awards and was shortlisted in the “top scoop” classification at the NCTJ Awards for Excellence in 2023. He likewise composes Live Science’s weekly Earth from area series.
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