The Himalayas from Tethys

There are very few people in the world today who do not know about the Himalayas. The Himalayas have been mentioned at least once in the textbooks of almost everyone in the world. Many people visit this Himalayan every year. Some to climb Everest again and some to enjoy the beauty of Kanchenjunga.

It is an ideal and deadly place for travelers. Many die every year while enjoying this beauty. But people do not stop there.

We may not be able to see the Himalayas we see today. Unless the Indian plate collided with the Eurasian plate. This mountain peak did not exist in 36-10 million years. Then don’t even think, what was the place where such a huge mountain stands today.

To get to the bottom of this mystery we need to go much further back. Are you thinking of 1953? No, not at all. We must go about 200 million years ago today.

Pangea rupture:

About 200 million years ago today, due to a tectonic shift, the supercontinental penguin broke up and split into two. One is Laurasia, the other is Gondwanaland. And between them is born the “Tethys Ocean.”

Photo: Pangea Fracture, collected from the Internet

But scientists say the Tethys Ocean originated 250 million years ago today when the Pangea’s erosion process began. Scientists have divided the period of this ocean into 4 parts.

Ever wondered if the Tethys Ocean had to be subdued by a marine continental plateau of about 5,000 km? Which, of course, was completely lost in the last 50 million years in the depths of the earth.

(Source: Breakdown of Pangea- National Geographic.org)

Tethys Ocean:

The Tethys Ocean may not be known to many. But that ocean is under our feet. This ocean stretched from the plateau of present-day Tibet to North America through the Middle East.

However, it continued to shrink after the breakup of Laurasia and Gondwanaland, which ended with the Indian plate hitting the Eurasian plate. After the break-up of Gondwana, half of Tethys was closed when the African continent started moving towards Europe.

Photo: Pangea Ocean, collected from the Internet

According to some scientists, Tethys was only in the middle of the area between present-day China and India. When Alfred Wegner presented his theory of continental overlap, there was still skepticism among many about the subject matter.

But after his theory was proved, everyone understood these geological contents. Now the question is how did scientists find Tethys? In 185, an Austrian archaeologist gave an idea about Tethys. Then in 1893, a geologist, Edward Sue, presented a theory. He introduced the name Tethys after the Greek goddess.

According to that theory, there is an indication of penguin breakdown. Since then, in the period from 1920 to 1960, many scientists have been forced to accept the existence of an ocean called Tethys.

(References: “Tethys – the Evolution of an Idea” Kollmann, HA (1992))

The Himalayas lost Tethys:

Tethys basically starts to get lost when Gondwanaland starts to break up. As the Indian plate moves northeast, the marine plate (bottom of Tethys) begins to close.

Between 132-52 million, about 5,000 km of marine plateau sank beneath the Eurasian plate. There it melts through the “mental plume” and goes to another place. On the other hand, the Indian plate continues to move towards Eurasia.

The question may be, why would the Indian plate subduct beneath the Eurasian plate? Things will depend on the density of the crust. The older the plate, the higher its density.

132 million years ago, the Indian plate started moving northeast through a tectonic shift. In the meantime, the Indian Ocean begins to open. At that time a mantle plume called “Cargullian Hotspot” was formed.

From which the Indian Continent and the Antarctic Continent became distinct. Between 120-55 million years, the Indian plate hit the Eurasian plate. As a result, the Indian plate subducts towards the bottom of the Eurasian plate.

According to geology, when two continental plates hit together, the higher density plate pushes it upwards to relieve its pressure. This caused the plate to twist and form mountains.

Something similar happened to Tethys about 50 million years ago today. The plateau of Tibet did not yet exist. The front of the Eurasian Plate, now known as the Himalayas, rises as the pressure increases as the Indian plate strikes.

After the formation of the Himalayas, the largest plateau in the world was formed at the foot of the opposite side. The plateau is formed on the land raised by the impact of the Indian plate.

(Source: “Plate Tectonics – The Himalayas”. The Geological Society)

On the other hand, different rivers and canals are formed in the front foot and new climate. Even with the sediments coming from the Himalayas, many of the lower countries, islands are standing today.

Himalayan weather:

On the other side of the Himalayas, there is a noise of rain and on the other side, there is desert. Why is this seen? Does Tethys have anything to do with it?

Photo: the Himalayas, collected from the Internet

There may not be a relationship with Tethys. But the Indian Plate and the Himalayas still had a relationship with the climate. The 5th Ice Age was going on in the world just before the creation of the Himalayas.

Much of the northern hemisphere was covered with ice. For which the Himalayas have been covered with ice since its creation. And many of today’s rivers are created from that ice-melting water.

Not only that. Due to the Himalayas, the winds blowing from the south are blocked in the northern mountains and move south again. This resulted in heavy rainfall over the foothills.

This is a huge reason for the fertility of South Asian countries. On the other hand, the clouds in the Tibetan region could not go because they remained dry. As a result, the soil there is barren. Even the rainfall is much less.

Photo: Plateau of Tibet, collected from the Internet

There are 15,000 glaciers in the Himalayas alone. This is the origin of the river Indus. The largest source of freshwater is the Himalayas. These monsters control much of the world’s climate.

(Reference: “The Himalayan Glaciers”. Fourth assessment report on climate change)

But don’t think once, 50 million years ago today, who would have thought that the salt sea would one day become the crown of Everest. Mountains will form 6,848 meters from the deep sea. He will show the beauty of the world in front of everyone on the ground.

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