Impressive flood deposits are described resulting from a catastrophic
lake outburst in the Upper Chandra valley in the Lahul Himalaya, north
ern India. Reconstructions of the former glacial lake, Glacial Lake Ba
tal, and the discharges were undertaken using landforms and sediment d
ata. The glacial dam burst released 1.496 km(3) of water in 0.72 days,
with peak discharges of between 21000 and 27000 m(3) (s-1) at Batal.
Dating by OSL suggests the flood occurred ca. 36.9 +/- 8.4 to 43.4 +/-
10.3 ka ago. This cataclysmic flood was responsible for major resedim
entation and landscape modification within the Chandra valley.