Phuket Range

The Phuket Range (Thai: ทิวเขาภูเก็ต, Thio Khao Phuket, IPA: [tʰiw kʰǎw pʰuː.kèt]) is a subrange of the Tenasserim Hills in the Kra Isthmus, Thailand.

Phuket Range
ทิวเขาภูเก็ต
NASA picture of the northern part of the range
Highest point
PeakKhao Langkha Tuek
Elevation1,395 m (4,577 ft)
Coordinates9°20′30″N 98°37′0″E
Dimensions
Length200 km (120 mi) N/S
Width50 km (31 mi) E/W
Geography
CountryThailand
Parent rangeTenasserim Hills
Geology
Age of rockPermian, Triassic
Type of rockgranite, limestone

Geography

The Phuket chain is a continuation of the greater Tenasserim range, forming one of the southern sections of the central Indo-Malay cordillera, the mountain chain which runs from Tibet through all of the Malay peninsula extending southwards for over 200 km.[1] The Nakhon Si Thammarat Range begins 60 km to the east of the southern part of the Phuket Range. Between the ranges there are isolated peaks rising from the lowlands, the highest of which is 1,350 m high Khao Phanom Bencha near Krabi.[2]

The highest elevation is Khao Langkha Tuek with an elevation of 1395 m. As the hills raise directly from the western coast there are no notable rivers west of the ridge. To the east the largest rivers are the Phum Duang River and the Lang Suan River.

The largest lake within the mountains is the Chiao Lan (Ratchaprapha dam) at 165 km2, an artificial lake within the Khao Sok National Park. The mountains mostly consist of limestone, which leads to the karst geography of steep hills. The hills west of the ridge contain several tin mines, mostly exhausted.

Protection

The range is in the Tenasserim-South Thailand semi-evergreen rain forests ecoregion. Most of the mountains are protected in various national parks and other protected areas. These are (from the south) Si Phang-nga NP, Ton Pariwat Wildlife Sanctuary, Khlong Phanom NP, Khao Sok NP, Khlong Yan Wildlife Sanctuary, Kaeng Krung NP, Khlong Nakha Wildlife Sanctuary and Namtok Ngao NP (formerly named Khlong Phrao NP).

References
  1. Avijit Gupta, The Physical Geography of Southeast Asia, Oxford University Press, 2005. ISBN 978-0-19-924802-5
  2. Peninsular Thailand
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