About Numthang

At 3:45 am on 6 June, 2007, a very strange and loud sound woke us and the local people of Langtang village. Villagers stood in their houseyard and looked up Mt Langtang Lirung. Huge masses of ice were falling into the origin of Numthang rivulet.

As morning light spread in the valley, we walked up to the site to see, and to our great surprise, the gorge of the rivulet was filled by masses of ice and rock. The houses cluster nearest to this new glacier is Mundu. Mundu locals said there was violent noise, shake and wind for half an hour during the avalanche fall. The sides of the glacier clearly revealed that ice had slipped rapidly down the gorge, and huge mass was still there.

The people of Langtang said that small avalanches were common in the region, however they were hardly visible near the village. They recalled their grandparents talk of huge avalanches falling off Langtang Lirung more than two centuries ago.

The site is at 3400 metres altitude. It is estimated that this temporary glacier will remain for 4-6 weeks.

Shall we consider this rare phenomenon for a scientific investigation so that information can be derived to better understand the everchanging structure of the peaks and glaciers in the Himalaya?

Please contact me at ashokbhurtyal@gmail.com for more information.

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