Gya glacial outburst of 2014

Question 1

What is the context?

Answer 1

In August 2014, a glacial lake outburst flood hit the village of Gya in Ladakh, destroying houses, fields and bridges. Using remote sensing data, researchers from Germany have mapped the evolution of Gya glacial lake and note the cause of the flood.

Question 2

What is Glacial lake outburst?

Answer 2

type of outburst flood that occurs when the dam containing a glacial lake fails. The dam can consist of glacier ice or a terminal moraine.(Moraine= mass of rocks and sediment carried down and deposited by a glacier, typically as ridges at its edges or extremity)(Terminal Moraine= moraine deposited at the point of furthest advance of a glacier or ice sheet.)

Question 3

What were the reasons for 2014 glacial outburst?

Answer 3

due to tunnelling drainage process induced by the thawing of the ice cores in the moraine. The water had drained out through the subsurface tunnels.