Chandra Taal
- July 15, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
No Comments
Chandra Taal
Subject: Geography
Section: Places in news
About:
- Tso Chigma or Chandra Taal (meaning the Lake of the Moon), or Chandra Tal is a lake in the Spiti part of the Lahul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, India.
- Chandra Taal is near the source of the Chandra River.
- The lake is one of two high-altitude wetlands of India which have been designated as Ramsar sites.
- Despite the rugged and inhospitable surroundings, it is in a protected niche with some flowers and wildlife in summer.
- It is usually associated with Spiti, although geographically it is separated from Spiti.
- Kunzum La separates Lahaul and Spiti valleys.
Location:
- Chandra Taal Lake is on the Samudra Tapu plateau, which overlooks the Chandra River (a source river of the Chenab).
- The name of the lake originates from its crescent shape.
- It is at an altitude of about 4,300 metres (14,100 ft) in the Himalayas.
- Mountains of scree overlook the lake on one side, and a cirque encloses it on the other.
- A cirque is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion.
- Alternative names for this landform are corrie and cwm.
- A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform arising from fluvial erosion.
- The term scree is applied both to an unstable steep mountain slope composed of rock fragments and other debris and to the mixture of rock fragments and debris itself.
Flora and Fauna:
- There are vast meadows on the banks of the lake.
- During springtime, these meadows are carpeted with hundreds of varieties of wildflowers.
- There was a plain of good grass to the north of Chandra Taal, where shepherds brought large herds for grazing from Kullu and Kangra.
- Due to overgrazing, the grasslands are now degraded.
- Chandra Taal is home to a few species such as the Snow Leopard, Snow Cock, Chukor, Black Ring Stilt, Kestrel, Golden Eagle, Chough, Red Fox, Himalayan Ibex, and Blue Sheep.
- Over time, these species have adapted to the cold arid climate, intense radiation, and oxygen deficiency by developing special physiological features.
- Migratory species such as the Ruddy shelduck are found in summer.