A new tectonic geological cross section resulted from. Tectonics of the western himalayas geoscienceworld books. Without a comprehensive look at the various himalayan zones, it is practically impossible to fully grasp the processes at work behind the formation and development of the spectacular himalaya. Geology is amazing in that it provides a rational, scientific explanation for landscapes and their accompanying scenery. The himalayan mountain chain has some of the highest peaks in the world. This region is dotted with hundreds of lakes and is the origin of many rivers. Many million years back, indian plate proceeded towards the eurasian plate due to the continental drift phenomenon. The structure, stratigraphy, and evolution of the lesser himalayan thrust belt of. The geology of the himalaya is a record of the most dramatic and visible creations of modern plate tectonic forces.
Geology of the nepal himalaya regional perspective of. Dotted area is modern himalayan foreland basin system. Sep 06, 2016 if i speak from a very basic context, himalaya is the result of the grand collison of two converging tectonic plates. Geology of the himalayasa volume in ther e g i o n a l g e o l o g y s e r i e sedited byl.
Full text of geology of the himalayas by gansser a wiley interscience 1964 see other formats. Simplified crosssection of the north western himalaya showing the main tectonic units and structural elements by dezes 1999. The geology of the himalayas is particularly important because it helps us to understand the formation of large mountain belts and how these regions vary over time. Deformation, metamorphism, stratigraphy presents sophisticated metamorphic and igneous rock data across various himalayan geographic sectors, capturing their petrography, metamorphism, structure, mineralization, and regional tectonic research. The leading edge of the greater himalayan crystalline complex. Current opinions on alpine geology are first fully discussed by the author, especially as regards the abnormal nature of the actual boundary of the molasse with the rocks of the higher alps, including the explanation usually given of this phenomenon, and of the contortion of the inner zone of molassenamely, the direct upheaval of the main mountainmass. Geology and structure of the kumaon lesser himalayas. Challenges of design and construction of a highway tunnel. Geological origin and evolution of the himalayas chapter. Stereograms are used to graphically represent measurements of planar and linear features imagine downwardpointing normal vectors of planes intersecting a. This lesson will give an overview of the himalayan geology including their formation and major tectonic zones. Tectonics of the western himalayas authors lawrence l.
According to the modern theory of plate tectonics, their formation is a result of a continental collision or orogeny along the convergent boundary between the indoaustralian plate and the. Geology of the southern himalaya in hazara, pakistan, and. This research paper gives a brief description of the geology and the tectonics of the himalayan mountain range. Mountains of central asia digital data set by peoples association for himalaya area research. The himalayan range encompasses about 15,000 glaciers, which store about 12,000 km3 3,000 cubic. Sedimentary rocks are the most studied by structural geologists because the initial shape. The himalayas, which stretch over 2400 km between the namche barwa syntaxis in tibet and the nanga parbat syntaxis in india, are the result of an ongoing orogeny the result of a collision of the continental crust of two. Immense slices of indian crust were pushed southward and stacked up to produce the himalayan orogen above figure. The himalayas have the third largest deposit of ice and snow in the world, after antarctica and the arctic. Everest nepal 8848 kanchenjunga india 8598 makalu nepal 8481 dhaulagiri nepal 8172 nanga parbat india 8126 annapurna nepal 8078 nanda devi india 7817 kamet india 7756 namcha barwa india 7756 gurla mandhata nepal 7728 the folds of great himalayas are.
The geology and tectonics of central bhutan article pdf available in journal of the geological society 1732. The himalayas, which stretch over 2400 km between the namche barwa syntaxis in tibet and the nanga parbat syntaxis in pakistan, are the result of an ongoing orogeny the result of a collision between two continental tectonic. Skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better. Geology of himalayas the himalaya are among the youngest mountain ranges on the planet and consist mostly of uplifted sedimentary and metamorphic rock. Mount everest, mountain on the crest of the great himalayas of southern asia that lies on the border between nepal and the tibet autonomous region of china. Geology of the himalayas by gansser a wiley interscience. Himalaya is a type locality for the study of ongoing continentcontinent collision tectonics upreti 2014, p. We collect, compile and communicate information on the geology and earth resources of uttarakhand. The himalayas, which stretch over 2400 km are the result of an ongoing orogeny.
Twophase uplift of higher himalayas since 17 ma geology. Himalayas are also considered as the worlds youngest mountain ranges. Challenges of design and construction of a highway tunnel through mixed geology in himalayas r. One does not need an earth science background to be in awe of the himalayas or the grand canyon. Evolution of the himalaya indian national science academy. This book addresses the geology of the entire himalayan range in nepal, i. Geological map of the kumaon lesser himalayas after valdiya, 1978. If i speak from a very basic context, himalaya is the result of the grand collison of two converging tectonic plates. View himalayan geology research papers on academia. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Without a comprehensive look at the various himalayan.
Tibetan plateau itself is a collage of microplates or continental fragments that. The geology of the himalaya is a record of the most dramatic and visible creations of modern. The geology of the himalayas is particularly important because it helps us to understand the formation of large mountain belts and how these. Isostasy, ideal theoretical balance of all large portions of earths lithosphere as though they were floating on the denser underlying layer, the asthenosphere, a section of the upper mantle composed of weak. Jul 24, 2017 the geology of the himalaya is a record of the most dramatic and visible creations of modern plate tectonic forces. The himalayas windley 1985 geology today wiley online. Geology of the himalayas a volume in the r e g i o n a l g e o l o g y s e r i e s edited by l. Mahadev singh road, dehra dun 248 001, india email. Current opinions on alpine geology are first fully discussed by the author, especially as regards the abnormal nature of the actual boundary of the molasse with the rocks of the higher alps. Institute of geology, university of lund, solvegatan, s223 62, lund. During the second stage, in which the uplift of the himalayan mountain range began to occur as it was gravitationally unstable, the india plate was thrust further.
Geological origin and evolution of the himalayas chapter 9. Pdf tectonics and evolution of the himalaya researchgate. Geologic formation of the himalaya rasoul sorkhabi. Geology of the southern himalaya in hazara, pakistan, and adjacent areas geological survey professional paper 716c prepared in cooperation with the geological survey of pakistan, under the auspices of the government of pakistan and the agency for international development, u. Palaeomagnetic sampling along them major highway of the country bhutan. In addition, these mountains affect the daily lives of all the people living within their shadow. Windley is professor of geology at leicester university. The tectonic evolution of the central himalaya, marsyandi. During the period 20112015, scientific investigations in the himalaya incorporated various geological and geophysical aspects of evolution of this mountain, including subsurface configuration. Everest nepal 8848 kanchenjunga india 8598 makalu nepal 8481 dhaulagiri nepal 8172 nanga. Stratigraphy, structure, and tectonic evolution of the himalayan fold. This is an interactive digital map in scalable vector graphic svg format. Without a comprehensive look at the various himalayan zones, it is practically impossible to fully grasp the processes at work behind the formation.
The himalaya, located on the southern fringe of the tibetan plateau, form a mountain arc convex toward the south about 2400 km long and 250300 km wide. Pdf during the period 20112015, scientific investigations in the himalaya incorporated various geological and geophysical aspects of evolution of. But the origin of the himalayas, for example, and how these mountains affect their own weather to produce the glaciers that have. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. Full text of geology of the himalayas by gansser a wiley. The geology of nepal is dominated by the himalaya, the highest, youngest and a very highly active mountain range upreti 2014, p. Overview of the geology of the himalayas the geological society.
Several distinct sequences of rock are recognized in the himalayas, separated from one another and rocks of the indian plate by northwarddipping fault zones. It ranges over 2500km and is between 200250km thick le forte 1975. One does not need an earth science background to be in awe of the himalayas. Bird migration across the himalayas edited by herbert h. The himalayas, which stretch over 2400 km between the namche barwa syntaxis in. Colonel kenneth mason the publication of burrards and haydens standard summary in 19078 came at a time when there was a danger that.
The himalayas, which stretch over 2400 km are the result of an ongoing. Simplified crosssection of the northwestern himalaya showing the main tectonic units and structural elements by dezes 1999. View enhanced pdf access article on wiley online library html view. The mountain range stretches inexorably through indian, bhutan, nepal, china tibet and pakistan separating the tibetan plateau to the north from indias alluvial plains to the south. Physical features of india 11 some highest peaks of the himalayas peak country height in metres mt. Gansser author see all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. It is surrounded by the tibet autonomous region tar of china to the north, and the indian territories of assam and west. The collision between the indian subcontinent and eurasian continent, which started in paleogene time and continues today, produced the himalayas and tibetan plateau, spectacular modern examples of the effects of plate tectonics. The himalaya, forming the loftiest and youngest mountain chain in the world with an eastwest extent of about 2500 km, is the product of the intercontinental collision of the indian and eurasian. Geology of the nepal himalaya regional perspective of the. Geological crosssection through the nw himalaya and karakoram.
Barbed line indicates the front of the himalayan foldthrust belt. Continuing northward movement of india at a rate of about 5 cm per year over the last 40 million years has caused it to indent asia, and the resultant massive shortening is expressed by thrusting of the northern margin of india, by faulting and earthquakes in the himalayas and china, by rifting and faulting in tibet, and by the uplift of the. Isostasy, ideal theoretical balance of all large portions of earths lithosphere as though they were floating on the denser underlying layer, the asthenosphere, a section of the upper mantle composed of weak, plastic rock that is about 110 km 70 miles below the surface. Geology of the southern himalaya in hazara, pakistan, and adjacent areas geological survey professional paper 716c prepared in cooperation with the geological survey of pakistan, under. We identified the provenance of sediments in each zone on the basis of the mineral assemblage and propose a twophase uplift of the higher himalayas since 17 ma.
By early cretaceous, thick deposits of flysch accumulated along the continental margin of india. The himalayan mountain range stretches from the brahmaputra to the indus river. Colonel kenneth mason the publication of burrards and haydens standard summary in 19078 came at a time when there was a danger that geographers might lose their way in a maze of unclassified detail. Geologic and tectonic evolution of the himalaya before and after the.
250 972 1514 1237 1508 83 511 1564 140 1524 884 1185 370 1075 186 1535 1588 344 308 717 1019 1562 714 1373 1072 545 530 328 1398 619 417 959 1182 978 1381 1315