What is the primary geomorphic process responsible for the creation of hanging valleys observed in the higher altitude regions of Himachal Pradesh such as Lahaul and Spiti?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Hanging valleys are formed when tributary glaciers erode less deeply than the main trunk glacier, leaving their valleys elevated high above the main valley floor once the ice melts, as seen across the high-altitude terrain of Lahaul and Spiti. Fluvial action creates V-shaped valleys rather than the characteristic U-shaped hanging valleys. Glacial geomorphology shapes much of the high-altitude topography of the western Himalayas.