Figure 8A-2, the map showing Tectonic Evolution of South Asia, provides a fascinating view of the post-Pangea movement of the India plate (de Blig, Muller, and Nijman 406). Many times, people imagine that Pangea represents a time when continents moved apart, but as this map demonstrates, it is also a time when landmasses came together in new ways. Fifty-five million years ago, the land mass that is known as India today was over 1800 kilometers south of the Eurasian plate, in the southern hemisphere of the world well below the equator. Slowly, the India landmass moved northward until about ten million years ago, it collided with the Eurasian plate. Figure 8A-2 shows this slow movement to the north, the point at which India collided with the Eurasian plate, and the current position of the Indian landmass. The northward movement of the Indian landmass still continues at a rate of about 5 millimeters each year (de Blig, Muller, and Nijman 405).
As is also demonstrated by the map, the land at the collision point to be pushed upwards, creating the Himalayan mountains (de Blig, Muller, and Nijman 405). According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Himalayan mountains continue to rise at a rate of at least centimeters each year because of the continued movement of the Indian plate; at this rate, the Himalayan mountain range should be even higher than it is today, but “Scientists believe that the Eurasian Plate may now be stretching out rather than thrusting up, and such stretching would result in some subsidence due to gravity” (USGS).
Works Cited
de Blij, H.J., Muller, P.O., and Nijman, J. Tectonic Evolution of South Asia [map]. Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts. John Wiley & Sons, 2012. 406. Print.
de Blij, H.J., Muller, P.O., and Nijman, J. The South Asian Realm. Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts. John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Print.
USGS. The Himalayas: Two continents collide. U.S. Geological Survey, 5 May 1999. Web.
