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One of the Himalaya's largest glaciers — its snout, Gaumukh, is the source of the Bhagirathi, a headstream of the Ganga.

Gangotri is one of the largest glaciers in the Himalaya — roughly 30 km long, fed by peaks approaching 7,000 m in the Garhwal Himalaya. Its snout, Gaumukh (“cow’s mouth”), is the source of the Bhagirathi, the headstream that joins the Alaknanda to become the Ganga.

Like most Himalayan glaciers, Gangotri is retreating: its snout has pulled back well over a kilometre over the past century. Because glaciers like this feed the great Himalayan rivers through the dry season, that retreat is a closely watched signal of a warming climate — and a long-term concern for the hundreds of millions downstream.

Sources

• Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology
• Geological Survey of India

A short reference note: this summary draws on third-party sources such as the Geological Survey of India and Wikipedia. In time I plan to give every geological feature its own learning-oriented write-up — with custom diagrams, graphs, and study pointers — as I’ve already done for the 11 locations that have an Instagram reel.