Aa mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge . Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animal migration throughout history. At lower elevations it may be called a hill pass . A mountain pass is typically formed between two volcanic peaks or created by erosion from water or wind.
19-583: Palakkad Gap or Palghat Gap is a low mountain pass in the Western Ghats between Coimbatore in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Palakkad in the state of Kerala . It has an average elevation of 140 metres (460 ft) with a width of 24–30 kilometres (15–19 mi). The pass is located between the Nilgiri Hills to the north and Anaimalai Hills to the south. Palakkad gap has played
38-403: A gap , saddle , col or notch . A topographic saddle is analogous to the mathematical concept of a saddle surface , with a saddle point marking the minimum high point between two valleys and the lowest point along a ridge. On a topographic map , passes can be identified by contour lines with an hourglass shape, which indicates a low spot between two higher points. In the high mountains,
57-502: A difference of 2,000 meters (6,600 ft) between the summit and the mountain is defined as a mountain pass. Passes are often found just above the source of a river , constituting a drainage divide . A pass may be very short, consisting of steep slopes to the top of the pass, or a valley many kilometers long, whose highest point might only be identifiable by surveying . Roads and railways have long been built through passes. Some high and rugged passes may have tunnels bored underneath
76-635: A hill terrain which already existed in that area might be wiped out due to the massive impact which leads to the subsequent formation of Palakkad Gap. The gap affects the weather patterns in Southern India as it allows the moisture-laden Southwest monsoon winds into western Tamil Nadu, moderating summer temperatures and generating greater rainfall in the region relative to the rest of lowland Tamil Nadu. It affects rainfall activity in parts of western Tamil Nadu, around Coimbatore, Palladam, Kangeyam, Dharapuram, Udumalai by allowing moisture laden winds from
95-636: A major role in enabling human migration into Kerala from parts of Tamil Nadu. From 300 BC to the 13th century, it also helped the Cheras rule the entire Kerala and the Kongu Nadu as one geographical unit from Karur in Western Tamil Nadu. Tamil Brahmins migrated to Palakkad from Central Tamil Nadu via the Palakkad gap from the 15th century to 18th century. There are various theories about
114-531: A nearby mountainside, as with the Eisenhower Tunnel bypassing Loveland Pass in the Rockies, to allow faster traffic flow throughout the year. The top of a pass is frequently the only flat ground in the area, and may be a high vantage point. In some cases this makes it a preferred site for buildings. If a national border follows the ridge of a mountain range, a pass over the mountains is typically on
133-786: A style of street racing which may take place on these roads. There are thousands of named passes around the world, some of which are well-known, such as the Khyber Pass close to the present-day Afghanistan-Pakistan border on the ancient Silk Road , the Great St. Bernard Pass at 2,473 metres (8,114 ft) in the Alps , the Chang La at 5,360 metres (17,590 ft), the Khardung La at 5,359 metres (17,582 ft) in Ladakh , India and
152-888: Is also used, particularly in Europe. In the highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas, passes are denoted by the suffix "La" in Tibetan, Ladhakhi, and several other regional languages. Examples are the Taglang La at 5,328 m (17,480 ft) on the Leh-Manali highway , and the Sia La at 5,589 m (18,337 ft) in the Eastern Karakoram range. Scotland has the Gaelic term bealach (anglicised "balloch"), while Wales has
171-771: Is the Brenner pass in the Alps . Some mountain passes above the tree line have problems with snow drift in the winter. This might be alleviated by building the road a few meters above the ground, which will make snow blow off the road. There are many words for pass in the English-speaking world. In the United States, pass is very common in the West , the word gap is common in the southern Appalachians , notch in parts of New England , and saddle in northern Idaho . The term col , derived from Old French,
190-467: Is the continuation of a Precambrian shear-zone that extended from east Africa through Ranotsara Gap of Madagascar to Palakkad Gap in India. There is also another theory which suggest that this Palakkad Gap is formed out due to a massive Asteroid attack at Coimbatore Area which leads to the formation of Kaveri Crater (it is considered to be fourth largest crater surface on the earth) and due to which
209-594: The Palakkad Gap at 140 metres (460 ft) in Palakkad , Kerala , India . The roads at Mana Pass at 5,610 metres (18,410 ft) and Marsimik La at 5,582 metres (18,314 ft), on and near the China–India border respectively, appear to be world's two highest motorable passes. Khunjerab Pass between Pakistan and China at 4,693 metres (15,397 ft) is also a high-altitude motorable mountain pass. One of
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#1732771847117228-542: The West Coastal region of Kerala and Arabian Sea . It also allows the hot winds coming from Tamil Nadu which warm the eastern part of Kerala significantly compared to the rest of the state and the tropical cyclone winds from Bay of Bengal bearing rain during the summer. The gap is the lowest pass through the Western Ghats in the region. It is an important mountain pass in the Western Ghats that runs along
247-458: The border, and there may be a border control or customs station, and possibly a military post. For instance, Argentina and Chile share the world's third-longest international border , 5,300 kilometres (3,300 mi) long, which runs north–south along the Andes mountains and includes 42 mountain passes. On a road over a pass, it is customary to have a small roadside sign giving the name of
266-622: The entire eastern edge of Kerala isolating it from the neighboring Tamil Nadu. It acts as an important transport corridor between the two States by linking Palakkad District of Kerala with Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu and has served as a vital trade route between the east and west coasts of peninsular India since ancient times. Both the National Highway 544 and the Jolarpettai - Shoranur railway line , Palakkad - Pollachi railway line joining Kerala to Tamil Nadu pass through
285-534: The famous but non-motorable mountain passes is Thorong La at 5,416 metres (17,769 ft) in Annapurna Conservation Area , Nepal. Muthalamada (gram panchayat) Muthalamada is a Grama Panchayat in the Palakkad district of Kerala , India. It is a local government organisation that serves the villages of Muthalamada-I and Muthalamada-II . Muthalamada panchayat is one of the largest mango producing areas. The climate and soil
304-720: The gap. The gap also helps for VHF line of sight communications between the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Palakkad Gap funnels the winds blowing from the west on to Palakkad District in Kerala , Coimbatore and Tirupur districts in Tamil Nadu making the region one of the major wind power generation areas. The average annual wind speed is 18–22 km/h. Large windmill farms can be seen in and around Kanjikode , Chittur , Muthalamada , Kollengode , Pollachi , Kinathukadavu , Udumalaipettai , Dharapuram and Madathukulam . Mountain pass Mountain passes make use of
323-628: The origin of Palakkad gap. One among them is that it is caused by the landslide due to rivers flowing in opposite directions. The Bharathappuzha river from Pollachi, Tamil Nadu (River Ponnani ) flows through the Palakkad Gap, collects water from various rivulets and tributaries feeding from steep escarpment slopes along the flanks of the Ghats. Another theory suggests that the gap may be created by an asteroid strike around 800 million to 550 million years ago. A study published in 2008 suggest that it
342-479: The pass and its elevation above mean sea level . Apart from offering relatively easy travel between valleys, passes also provide a route between two mountain tops with a minimum of descent. As a result, it is common for tracks to meet at a pass; this often makes them convenient routes even when travelling between a summit and the valley floor. Passes traditionally were places for trade routes, communications, cultural exchange, military expeditions etc. A typical example
361-696: The similar bwlch (both being insular Celtic languages). In the Lake District of north-west England, the term hause is often used, although the term pass is also common—one distinction is that a pass can refer to a route, as well as the highest part thereof, while a hause is simply that highest part, often flattened somewhat into a high-level plateau. In Japan they are known as tōge , which means "pass" in Japanese. The word can also refer to narrow, winding roads that can be found in and around mountains and geographically similar areas, or specifically to
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