The
Saser Muztagh is the easternmost subrange of the
KarakoramKarakoram is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang...
rangeA mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes,...
, in the
KashmirKashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent...
region of
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
. It is bounded on the south, east and northeast by the
Shyok RiverThe Shyok River flows through the disputed Ladakh of India and the disputed Northern Areas of Pakistan , spanning some ....
, which bends sharply around the southeast corner of the range. On the west it is separated from the neighboring Kailas Mountains by the
Nubra RiverThe Nubra River is a tributary of the Shyok River, which flows into the Indus River. It flows in the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir....
, while the
Sasser PassSasser Pass, Saser Pass or Saser-la is a high mountain pass in India on the ancient summer caravan route from Ladakh to Yarkand in the Tarim Basin...
(Saser La) marks the boundary between this range and the
Rimo MuztaghThe Rimo Muztagh is one of the most remote subranges of the Karakoram range, in far northwestern India, near the disputed border with Pakistan. It is far from major towns, and close to the militarily sensitive Siachen Glacier, so it has seen little exploration or climbing activity compared to, for...
to the north. The
LadakhLadakh is a region situated in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south...
Range stands to the south of the Saser Muztagh, across the Shyok River.
Notable
glacierA glacier is a perennial mass of ice which moves over land. A glacier forms in locations where the mass accumulation of snow and ice exceeds ablation over many years...
s of the Saser Muztagh include the North and South Shukpa Kunchang Glaciers, the Sakang Glacier, and the Chamshen Glacier.
Early European exploration and surveying of this range occurred between 1850 and 1900.
The
Saser Muztagh is the easternmost subrange of the
KarakoramKarakoram is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang...
rangeA mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes,...
, in the
KashmirKashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent...
region of
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
. It is bounded on the south, east and northeast by the
Shyok RiverThe Shyok River flows through the disputed Ladakh of India and the disputed Northern Areas of Pakistan , spanning some ....
, which bends sharply around the southeast corner of the range. On the west it is separated from the neighboring Kailas Mountains by the
Nubra RiverThe Nubra River is a tributary of the Shyok River, which flows into the Indus River. It flows in the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir....
, while the
Sasser PassSasser Pass, Saser Pass or Saser-la is a high mountain pass in India on the ancient summer caravan route from Ladakh to Yarkand in the Tarim Basin...
(Saser La) marks the boundary between this range and the
Rimo MuztaghThe Rimo Muztagh is one of the most remote subranges of the Karakoram range, in far northwestern India, near the disputed border with Pakistan. It is far from major towns, and close to the militarily sensitive Siachen Glacier, so it has seen little exploration or climbing activity compared to, for...
to the north. The
LadakhLadakh is a region situated in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south...
Range stands to the south of the Saser Muztagh, across the Shyok River.
Notable
glacierA glacier is a perennial mass of ice which moves over land. A glacier forms in locations where the mass accumulation of snow and ice exceeds ablation over many years...
s of the Saser Muztagh include the North and South Shukpa Kunchang Glaciers, the Sakang Glacier, and the Chamshen Glacier.
Early European exploration and surveying of this range occurred between 1850 and 1900. In 1909 famed explorer
T. G. LongstaffTom George Longstaff was an English doctor, explorer and mountaineer, most famous for being the first person to climb a summit of over 7,000 meters in elevation, Trisul, in the Indian Himalaya in 1907. He also made important explorations and climbs in Tibet, Nepal, the Karakoram, Spitsbergen,...
, Arthur Neve, and A. M. Slingsby explored the Nubra Valley and scouted approaches to the main Saser Kangri massif. However the main peaks were not climbed until the 1970's.
Since this region is near the disputed border between
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
and
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
, there is currently little climbing and exploratory activity in the range, except for occasional forays by the Indian military.
Selected peaks of the Saser Muztagh
The following is a table of the peaks in the Saser Muztagh which are over 7200 meters (23,622 feet) in elevation and have over 500 metres (1,524 feet) of
topographic prominenceIn topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop , or prime factor , is a concept used in the categorization of hills and mountains, also known as peaks...
.
(This is a common criterion for peaks of this stature to be independent.) Note that they are all in the Saser Kangri group; the highest peak in the range outside of this group is an unnamed 6,789m peak.
| Mountain |
Height (m) |
Height (ft) |
Coordinates |
Prominence (m) |
Parent mountain |
First ascent |
Ascents (attempts) |
| Saser Kangri Saser Kangri is the highest peak in the Saser Muztagh, the easternmost subrange of the Karakoram range in India.The Saser Kangri massif consists of four main peaks:* Saser Kangri I at * Saser Kangri II East at ; West at 7,500 metres...
I |
7,672 |
25,171 |
}
|align=right|2,304
|
Gasherbrum IGasherbrum I is the 11th highest peak on Earth, located on the Pakistan-China border. Gasherbrum I is part of the Gasherbrum massif, located in the Karakoram region of the Himalaya...
|align=middle|1973
|align=middle|6 (4)
|-
|
Saser KangriSaser Kangri is the highest peak in the Saser Muztagh, the easternmost subrange of the Karakoram range in India.The Saser Kangri massif consists of four main peaks:* Saser Kangri I at * Saser Kangri II East at ; West at 7,500 metres...
II E
|align=right|7,513
|align=right|24,649
|
|align=right|1,450
|
Saser KangriSaser Kangri is the highest peak in the Saser Muztagh, the easternmost subrange of the Karakoram range in India.The Saser Kangri massif consists of four main peaks:* Saser Kangri I at * Saser Kangri II East at ; West at 7,500 metres...
I
|unclimbed
|align=middle|0 (0)
|-
|
Saser KangriSaser Kangri is the highest peak in the Saser Muztagh, the easternmost subrange of the Karakoram range in India.The Saser Kangri massif consists of four main peaks:* Saser Kangri I at * Saser Kangri II East at ; West at 7,500 metres...
III
|align=right|7,495
|align=right|24,590
|
|align=right|850
|
Saser KangriSaser Kangri is the highest peak in the Saser Muztagh, the easternmost subrange of the Karakoram range in India.The Saser Kangri massif consists of four main peaks:* Saser Kangri I at * Saser Kangri II East at ; West at 7,500 metres...
I
|align=middle|1986
|align=middle|1 (0)
|}
Sources
- Jerzy Wala, Orographical Sketch Map of the Karakoram, Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research, Zurich, 1990.
- Jill Neate, High Asia: an illustrated history of the 7,000 metre peaks, The Mountaineers, 1989.