Abstract

The crescent-shaped Himalaya extends for over 2500km from Nanga Parbat in the west to Namcha Barwa in the east. Following the initial contact with Eurasian Plate in the northwest, the Indian Plate underwent an anticlockwise rotation, before bumping at the easternmost point with Eurasia. The Indo-Eurasian collision-related suturing took place between 72 and 48Ma, and the process is continuing even today. The Himalayas are made of five tectonic divisions that from south to north are (1) Sub-Himalayas, (2) Lesser Himalayas, (3) Higher Himalayas, (4) Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zone, and (5) Trans-Himalaya. The continued continental collision between the ophiolite-laden northernmost margin of the Himalayas and the southern part of the Tibetan Plateau resulted in the back-thrusting and inversion of the structural order along the Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zone. Himalayan-Tibetan Orogen is estimated to have undergone at least 1400km of north–south shortening, which has been absorbed by the Himalayas since the onset of the Indo-Eurasian collision.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call