Glaciation in the Tien Shan mountains

Glaciated landscapes are a common topic in many GCSE geography courses. Learning about these exciting landscapes enables us to imagine what large parts of the UK would have looked like thousands of years ago, as well as discovering how glacial processes are still operating today around the world

Alice Mollison

Photograph 1 Khan Tengri pyramidal peak

This article focuses on glacial processes and erosional and depositional landforms, using the area of the Tien Shan mountains as an example.

The Tien Shan (‘mountains of heaven’ in Chinese) are located on the borders between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and China (Figure 1). Most people who visit this area are professional climbers, trekkers or keen geographers. The mountains were formed 50 million years ago at the same time as the Himalayas, when the Indian and Eurasian plates collided. The area covers about 7,000km2 and there are nearly 4,000 glaciers. South Inylchek glacier (Figure 1) is the thirdlongest glacier outside the polar regions, at 62km long and 3km wide. If this glacier melted, the whole of Kyrgyzstan would be covered in 3 metres of water.