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Bokchigir glacier.
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Glaciers in Bokchigir ridge.
“As the winds changed, sifting gradually took place. Far from the mountains, river sand accumulated, creating dune landscapes. Loess or clay was deposited in the mountains. This belt of loess on the edge of the mountains became the basis of the culture. Quieter times have come. The rivers carved out permanent channels for themselves, and greenery began to grow on their banks. Eventually a man appeared. He learned to tame the water and irrigate the fields. Stubborn mountains were bordered by oases, as the water-soaked loess was incredibly fertile.”
Willie Rickmer Rickmers. Pamir-Alai expedition. 1928.
Lakes in Bokchigir ridge.
Upper limit of tBokchigir glacier is located at an altitude of 5217 meters above sea level, end of glacier is located at an altitude of 4617 meters above sea level, located 19 kilometers southwest of northern end of Lake Yashchikul, on southern slope of Bokgigir ridge with a length of 42 kilometers, on border of Shugnan and Murghab districts of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region.
The Katta-Bokchigir River, 19.5 kilometers long, flows from the glacier and flows into the northern end of Lake Yashilkul and belongs to the Gunt River basin. The mouth of the Katta-Bokchigir River is located at an altitude of 3719.5 meters above sea level.
The glacier is a valley glacier, its length is 4.5 kilometers, the average width is 1.3 kilometers, the area of the glacier reaches 6.11 square kilometers, the perimeter of the glacier is 15.07 kilometers, the tongue of the glacier is located at an altitude of 4617 meters above sea level.
History of observations of Bokchigir glacier.
Observations of the glacier have been carried out since 1960. The glacier is in the stage of degradation. During the observation period, its surface decreased by 5 meters; from 1960 to 1990, it retreated by 530 meters at an average rate of 17.7 meters per year, its area decreased by 3.5%.
Geographic coordinates of Bokchigir glacier: N37°37'23 E72°44'12
Authority:
"Glaciers." L.D. Dolgushin, G.B. Osipova. Series "Nature of the world." Moscow, the publishing house "Thought". 1989.
Photos by:
Alexander Petrov.