Indian plate under the Himalayas likely to move and break apart! See details
A new geological study has found that the Indian tectonic plate, which scientists once thought was smoothly sliding under the Tibetan Plateau, is actually ripping or breaking apart deep underground. This discovery changes our understanding of how the Earth’s crust is moving in this region and could help explain the powerful earthquakes and complex mountain formations seen in the Himalayas.
This has been found after the devastating Myanmar earthquake. This study has changed our understanding on how the Himalayas were formed and how they continue to evolve on a daily basis.
Since decades, scientists have debated on whether the Indian plateau is slipping beneath or is sliding beneath another plate.
Recently a study published in ESS Open Archive, highlighted showing the difference on how the Indian plate behaves in the longitude line. The study showed that in the western part of the region, the Indian plate is intact as it pushes under Tibet. It extends about 100 kilometres beyond the Yarlung-Zangbo suture. It is an important fault line because this is where two land masses meet.
But, in east the Indian plate is slowly delaminating. The crust is separating from the underlying mantle and a hot, soft layer of rock from the Earth’s asthenosphere layer is sliding between them. This continuous process has created a wedge-like structure below the surface and is showing that the movement between tectonic plates is more forceful and intense than what scientists used to believe.
The study is supported by helium gas anomalies and deep earthquake patterns in the region. This has confirmed the tearing effect. The study also suggested that the nascent Tibetan lithosphere is extending nearly 100 kilometres further in the south.
The scientists have said that this discovery has changed everyone’s perception regarding how the Indian plate is shaped. It is still continuing to shape the Himalayan orogeny. This is also helping the scientists to understand earthquake risks and mountain-building process.
