548 THE DEPRESSIONS ALONG THE NORTHERN AND THE SOUTHERN BASE OF THE TRANSHIMALAYA.
The northgoing valleys are broad and open and bounded by relatively moderate mountains. They are to a great extent filled with deposits of shingle and gravel, and carry as a rule the characteristic features of plateau-valleys. In this respect they resemble the uppermost portions of the valleys of the Indus and the Tsangpo, though these two rivers flow to the ocean, whereas the northern Transhimalayan rivers go to self-contained basins.
The southgoing valleys, on the other hand, are deep-cut and narrow, rarely giving space for deposition of solid material. In consequence of the steeper fall and the greater amount of precipitation on the southern side of the great water-parting, the southgoing rivers are capable of sweeping their beds clear from debris and deposits, and this capacity increases gradually towards the east.
IIIF Color HighRes
