The River Systems of the Himalayan Drainage

The Himalayan drainage system is dominated by three great river systems—the Indus, the Ganga, and the Brahmaputra—each fed by a combination of glacial melt and monsoon rainfall. These rivers are perennial, flowing throughout the year, and they have carved deep gorges and valleys as they descend from the young, still-rising mountains. Because the Himalayas are geologically young and actively uplifted, these rivers are in their youthful stage, marked by high velocity, steep gradients, and intense erosional power. Their courses are largely antecedent and superimposed, meaning they predate the mountain uplift and have cut t …