In News:

A team of mountaineers was caught in an avalanche on the slopes of Broad Peak in the Karakoram Range, drawing attention to one of the world's highest mountains.

About Broad Peak

• Broad Peak is the 12th-highest mountain in the world, with an elevation of 8,051 metres, located in the Karakoram Range.
• In the local Balti language, it is known as Falchan Kangri, meaning "Broad Mountain." The mountain derives its English name from British explorer Sir Martin Conway, who named it in 1892 after its unusually broad summit ridge, resembling the Breithorn in the Swiss Alps.
• Broad Peak lies in the Karakoram Range, spanning Gilgit-Baltistan and China's Xinjiang, approximately 8 km southeast of K2.

Formation and Physical Features

• The mountain was formed by the continuing collision of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates, which gave rise to the Himalaya–Karakoram mountain system.
• Its geology comprises massive plutonic granite blocks and metamorphic rock formations. The mountain's snowfields and ice walls feed the Godwin-Austen Glacier and the Baltoro Glacier systems.
• Broad Peak has a distinctive five-peak structure, with three summits exceeding 8,000 metres:
  • Main Summit: 8,051 m
  • Rocky Summit: 8,028 m
  • Central Peak: 8,011 m