Editing Skardu (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Katpana Skardu.jpg|thumb|Skardu's Katpana Lake]]

===Topography===
[[Skardu Airport|Skardu's Airport]] is situated at an elevation of {{convert|2,230|m||abbr=off}} [[above sea level]], though the mountain peaks surrounding Skardu reach elevations of {{convert|4,500-5,800|m||abbr=off}}.<ref name="Schroder Jr-2002">{{Cite book |title=Himalaya to the Sea: Geology, Geomorphology and the Quaternary |last=Schroder Jr |first=John F. |date=2002 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781134919772 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AfWJAgAAQBAJ&q=skardu&pg=PA60}}</ref> Upstream from Skardu are some of the largest glaciers in the world, including the [[Baltoro Glacier]], [[Biafo Glacier]], and [[Chogo Lungma Glacier]].<ref name="Schroder Jr-2002" /> Some of the surrounding glaciers are surrounded by some of the world's tallest mountains, including [[K2]], the world's second tallest mountain at {{convert|8,611|m||abbr=off}}, [[Gasherbrum I|Gasherbrum]] at {{convert|8,068|m||abbr=off}}, and [[Masherbrum]] at {{convert|7,821|m||abbr=off}},  these are some of the highest peaks in the world.<ref name="Schroder Jr-2002" /> 

The [[Deosai National Park]], the world's second highest alpine plain, is located upstream of Skardu as well. Downstream from Skardu is located the [[Nanga Parbat]] mountain at {{convert|8,126|m||abbr=off}}.<ref name="Schroder Jr-2002" />
[[File:Sakadu City View.JPG|thumb|left|Skardu is located in a broad valley carved by glaciation.]]

===Geology===
[[File:Baltoro_glacier_from_air.jpg|thumb|Skardu is located near the [[Baltoro Glacier]] – [[List of glaciers#List of longest glaciers on Earth in non-polar regions|one of the world's longest]] outside a [[Polar regions of Earth|polar region]].]]
Skardu is located along the Kohistan-Ladakh [[terrane]], formed as a magmatic arch over a [[Tethys Ocean|Tethyan]] subduction zone that was later accreted onto the [[Eurasian Plate]].<ref name="Schroder Jr-2002" /> The region has low seismic activity compared to surrounding regions, suggesting that Skardu is located in a passive structural element of the [[Main Central Thrust|Himalayan thrust]].<ref name="Schroder Jr-2002" /> The stone in the Skardu region is Katzarah [[schist]], with a [[Radiometric dating|radiometric]] estimated age of 37 to 105 million years.<ref name="Schroder Jr-2002" />

Numerous complex granitic pegmatites and a few alpine-cleft metamorphic rock deposits are found in the Shigar Valley and its tributaries. Shigar Valley contains the Main Karakoram Thrust separating the metasediments (chlorite to amphibolite grade) on the Asian plate from the southern volcanoclastic rocks of the Kohistan-Ladakh island arc.

===Climate===
[[File:MoonRise in Skardu City.jpg|thumb|Skardu at dusk]]
[[File:Unexpected Snow in Katpana Skardu.jpg|thumb|Sand dunes in the [[Cold Desert, Skardu|Cold Desert of Skardu]] are  often covered in snow during winter.]] 
Skardu features a [[cold semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''BSk''). The climate of Skardu during the summer is moderated by its mountain setting; the intense heat of lowland Pakistan does not reach it. The mountains block out the summer [[monsoon]], and summer rainfall is thus quite low. However, these mountains result in very severe winter weather. During the April-to-October tourist season, temperatures vary between a maximum of {{convert|27|°C|0}} and a minimum (in October) {{convert|8|°C|0}}.

Temperatures can drop to below {{convert|−10|°C|0}} in the December-to-January midwinter period. The lowest recorded temperature was {{convert|−24.1|°C|0}} on 7 January 1995.<ref name=PMD>{{cite web |url= http://www.pakmet.com.pk/cdpc/Climate/Skardu_Climate_Data.txt |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100613053345/http://www.pakmet.com.pk/cdpc/Climate/Skardu_Climate_Data.txt |archive-date= 13 June 2010 |title=Skardu Climate Data, Mean for the Period 1961 - 2009 |work=Climate Data Processing Centre (CDPC), [[Pakistan Meteorological Department]], Karachi |year=2010 |access-date=1 October 2019}}</ref>

{{Weather box
|location = Skardu
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 13.9
|Feb record high C = 16.7
|Mar record high C = 24.0
|Apr record high C = 29.6
|May record high C = 34.4
|Jun record high C = 40.0
|Jul record high C = 41.0
|Aug record high C = 41.0
|Sep record high C = 38.2
|Oct record high C = 31.2
|Nov record high C = 22.9
|Dec record high C = 16.2
|year record high C = 41.0
|Jan high C = 3.2
|Feb high C = 6.1
|Mar high C = 12.4
|Apr high C = 18.8
|May high C = 23.4
|Jun high C = 28.7
|Jul high C = 31.6
|Aug high C = 31.2
|Sep high C = 27.2
|Oct high C = 20.4
|Nov high C = 13.2
|Dec high C = 6.5
|year high C = 14.9
|Jan low C = -8.0
|Feb low C = -4.4
|Mar low C = 1.5
|Apr low C = 6.6
|May low C = 9.7
|Jun low C = 13.4
|Jul low C = 16.4
|Aug low C = 16.0
|Sep low C = 11.4
|Oct low C = 4.3
|Nov low C = -1.9
|Dec low C = -5.6
|year low C = 4.1
|Jan record low C = -24.1
|Feb record low C = -20.0
|Mar record low C = -13.5
|Apr record low C = −1.1
|May record low C = 0.4
|Jun record low C = 4.0
|Jul record low C = 7.5
|Aug record low C = 7.0
|Sep record low C = 2.6
|Oct record low C = -4.2
|Nov record low C = -9.5
|Dec record low C = -17.2
|year record low C = −24.1
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 27.5
|Feb rain mm = 25.9
|Mar rain mm = 36.9
|Apr rain mm = 31.3
|May rain mm = 25.3
|Jun rain mm = 9.0
|Jul rain mm = 9.8
|Aug rain mm = 12.2
|Sep rain mm = 9.3
|Oct rain mm = 7.3
|Nov rain mm = 5.6
|Dec rain mm = 16.3
|year rain mm = 172.7
|time day = 17:00 [[Pakistan Standard Time|PST]]
|Jan humidity = 64.3
|Feb humidity = 52.0
|Mar humidity = 34.9
|Apr humidity = 25.6
|May humidity = 24.6
|Jun humidity = 22.3
|Jul humidity = 27.3
|Aug humidity = 30.7
|Sep humidity = 29.9
|Oct humidity = 31.2
|Nov humidity = 36.6
|Dec humidity = 56.2
|year humidity = 29.6
|source 1 = Pakistan Meteorological Department<ref name=PMD/>
|date=August 2012
}}