Lakes in India Suraj Tal Lake:
| Suraj Taal Surya taal |
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|---|---|
 |
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| Location | CB Range, Lahaul Valley, Himachal |
| Coordinates | 32°45′N 77°24′ECoordinates: 32°45′N 77°24′E |
| Type | High altitude Lake |
| Primary inflows | Glacier and Snow melt |
| Primary outflows | Bhaga River |
| Basin countries | Kashmir |
| Shore length1 | 4 km (2.5 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 4,883 m (16,020.3 ft) |
| Frozen | During winter |
| Settlements | Patseo and Darcha (mountain hamlets) |
Suraj Tal or Suraj Tal Lake also called Surya taal, is a sacred body of water, literally means the Lake of the Sun God, and lies just below the Bara-lacha-la pass (4,890m) (8 km (5.0 mi) in length) in the Lahaul and Spiti valley of Himachal Pradesh state in India and is the third highest lake in India, and the 21st-highest in the world. Suraj Tal Lake is the source of Bhaga River which joins the Chandra River downstream at Tandi to form the Chandrabhaga River in Himachal Pradesh territory, and as it enters Jammu and Kashmir it is renamed as the Chenab River. The Bhaga River (a tributary of the Chandrabhaga or Chenab) originates from Surya taal. The other major tributary of the Chandrabhaga, the Chandra originates from the glacier close to the Chandra Taal lake in the Spitidistrict.
The lake is fed from the glaciers and torrential nullahs (streams) originating from the Bara-lacha-la pass, which is 8 km (5.0 mi) long and is also called the “Pass with crossroads on summit” since roads from Zanskar, Ladakh, Spiti and Lahaul meet at this pass. In addition to the Suraj Tal and the Bhaga River that originates from it, Bara-lacha-la Pass is also the source of the Chandra and Yunan Rivers in the northwest and north, respectively.
The lake is situated in the Upper Himalayan Zone or High Latitudinal Zone part of the Himalayas which has very sparse population with climatic conditions akin to polar conditions. Snowfall in this zone, though scanty, is reported to be spread all round the year. Rainfall precipitation is rare in the region. Snow precipitation from snow storms is reported to be less than 20 cm (7.9 in) of snow in nearly 50% of the storms, even though one observatory in the region has reported 80 cm (31.5 in) of snow fall. The precipitation starts melting from May. Snow on slopes is generally slackly bonded, with wind redistributing it. The average total snowfall recorded in a year is reported to be 12 m (39.4 ft) –15 m (49.2 ft) with temperatures of Highest Max. 13 °C (55.4 °F), Mean Max.0.5 °C (32.9 °F),Mean Minimum minus 11.7 °C (53.1 °F) and Lowest Minimum of minus 27 °C (80.6 °F). The ground in the zone is covered with scree and boulders
The Lake’s geology is represented by the Bara-lacha-la Pass, which is reported to be an early rifting event on the northern Indian passive margin and that the Basalts which are emplaced along the trans–tensional faults indicate that.
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