The Himalayas run for 1500 miles (2400 km) and is home to the tallest peak in the world - Mt. Everest. It traverses Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Tibet, Nepal and is composed of three layers of mountains rising like steps. The range run all the way from North Western Pakistan to Nepal and Bhutan and separate the Tibet Plateau from India. The range is the source of life giving rivers like the Indus flowing through Pakistan and Ganges in India. Indus rises from Kailash Mountain deep in the Himalayan range close to Nepal. K2, the second highest peak of the Himalayas and the world lies in Pakistan.
All these facts we must have learned sometime in school and revisited while teaching our children for their O'levels. But have we ever considered how these tremendous and gargantuan mountains came to be? Were they always there?
About 80 million years ago, the landmass comprising of continents looked very different from today. India was a large island near the coast of Australia. 50 million years ago the island of India started to move north towards the mass of Asia (and it continues its thrust upwards.) When it hit the Asian landmass the rocks collided and gave way, the impact resulted in forming the Himalyan range.
The video below is an incredible simulation of this geological event
Comments
Post a Comment