The moon-like landscapes surrounding the Himalayan village of Lamayuru attract tourists seeking off-the-beaten track adventures. The village is enchanting, not only for the striking geological formations that frame it, but also for the presence of an 11th Century Buddhist monastery.
“The rock formations are known as ‘Moonland'”, says Arjun Datta, author of this week’s imaggeo on Mondays featured photograph. “The surreal moon-like rock formations at Lamayuru are nestled in the Greater Himalayas, midway between Kargil and Leh on the Srinagar-Leh highway in Ladakh, India,” explains Arjun.
It is the mesmerising bright yellow formations with clayey texture and multiple folds which give the outcrops their moon-like appearance. Some studies have attributed the unique geology of this tiny Ladakhi village to the presence of a lake about 40,000 years ago which preserved a roughly 100 m thick sequence of river and lake derived deposits.
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