The catastrophic flash floods of June 2013 in the Kedarnath valley of Uttarakhand were primarily triggered by an extreme meteorological event interacting with which geographic feature?

💡 Solution & Explanation

The 2013 disaster was caused by unprecedented heavy rainfall combined with the rapid melting of snow and the subsequent breach of the Chorabari Tal glacial lake situated above Kedarnath town. This released a massive torrent of water, mud, and boulders down the Mandakini valley. Tectonic fault collapse and general cloudbursts over Nanda Devi were not the primary physical drivers of this specific lake outburst flood. Glacial lake outburst floods represent significant natural hazards in high altitude geographical studies.