🏔️ Evolution of the Himalaya: A Simplified Interactive Infographic
The 55 Million Year Adventure
The Great Collision 💥
Ocean Closed Forever!
BAM! The Indian plate crashes into Asia. The Tethys Sea disappears, and the land starts to crumple. Indian Plate slows down from ~15 cm/year to ~5 cm/year.
High Himalaya Rises 🏔️
Mountains Grow in Size!
Things get squeezy! Intense pressure pushes rocks up to form the high crystalline mountains (the tall snowy ones!).
Lesser Himalaya Forms & Grows 🌊
Rivers Carve Valleys!
The hills rise up. This blocks ancient rivers, creating massive lakes and the beautiful valleys we see today. Between 2.5 to 2 ma, the rate of growth accelerates.
Siwalik Grows 🐵
The Foothills Appear
Sediments washed down from the big mountains pile up. These soft rocks with fossils, including Ramapithecus, a humanoid ape, are then pushed up to form the Chure (Siwalik) range.
Ground Keeps Shaking ⚡
Active Faults
The collision hasn’t stopped! The ground is still moving about 20mm every year, causing earthquakes along the MFT.
Leave a Reply