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Geography Optional 300+ Score Pack · Model answer

Explain the shifting of river courses and river capturing in the Himalayas.

  • UPSC 2016
  • Physical Setting

Himalayan rivers are older than the mountains they cross. The Indus, Satluj, Alaknanda, Kali, Gandak, Kosi, Tista and Brahmaputra rise on the southern slopes of the Tibetan highlands, first run parallel to the mountain axis in longitudinal troughs, then turn abruptly south and cut deep gorges across the ranges to reach the plains.

You are reading the opening of the model answer. The full answer is part of the Geography Optional 300+ Score Pack.

What the full answer covers

  • Why Himalayan Drainage Is Unstable
  • River Capture in the Mountains
  • The Great Historical Shift
  • Shifting on the Plains
  • The Present Aggravation

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