AUTHORS: SHERALIZODA N.SH., NAVRUZSHOEV H.D., SAIDZODA S.M.
UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF SHERALIZODA N.SH.
Glaciers of the Gunt River Basin
The Gunt River basin is located within the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), with its administrative center in the city of Khorog (at the mouth of the Gunt River). It occupies the southwestern part of the Pamirs and covers 21.6% of the region’s territory, extending 220 km from west to east, 90 km from north to south in its western and central parts, and 50 km in the east. The Rushan and North-Alichur mountain ranges form the northern boundary of the basin, separating it from the catchments of the Bartang and Murghab rivers. In the south, the Shakhdara and South-Alichur ranges divide the Gunt River basin from that of the Pamir-Panj. To the west, the basin borders the steep, short tributaries of the Panj River. In the east, it is separated by short ridges and low mountain ranges from the basins of the left tributaries of the Aksu River, which belongs to the upper reaches of the Murghab.
The valley of the Gunt River—one of the largest tributaries of the Panj River—stretches from the arid flatlands of Eastern Pamir to the deep rocky gorge of the Panj. The Gunt originates from the Gurumdy River. After changing direction westward, the Gurumdy merges with its left tributary, the Bashgumbez River, forming the Alichur River. The lower part of the Alichur Valley is occupied for 25 km by Lake Yashilkul, one of the largest high-mountain lakes in the Pamirs. The lake is of landslide origin, with a depth of 40 m, a water level elevation of 3734 m above sea level, and a surface area of 35.6 km².
Below Lake Yashilkul, the river takes the name Gunt. After receiving the large left tributary Tokuzbulak, the valley widens. Near its confluence with the Panj—6.5 km upstream from the mouth—the largest left tributary, the Shakhdara River, flows in. The extensive basin of the Shakhdara covers 4,180 km², out of the total 13,700 km² of the entire Gunt basin.
There are 917 glaciers larger than 0.1 km² recorded in the Gunt River basin, with a total area of 609 km². Additionally, 432 smaller glaciers (less than 0.1 km²) cover an area of 25.2 km². The total number of glaciers in the basin reaches 1,349. Most numerous are glaciers sized between 0.5 and 0.9 km², making up 50.8% of all glaciers in the area. Also common are glaciers ranging from 1 to 3 km², unevenly distributed throughout the basin. The orientation (aspect) of the glaciers is highly diverse, found on slopes of various directions; however, glaciers with a northern exposure account for 45.4% of the total.
Detailed relief and glaciation map of the Gunt River basin