Himalayan

Article

You've got to be fascinated with the Him's. That was a major study for me, when I was all into plate tectonics. The basic story is that India has a strong push north from deep forces, and is kersmashing into Tibet like a big bulldozer.

But that really mucks up basic physics. How can India be 'pushed' and only deform on the top? Why doesn't it stop? So, the devil is in the details. Now, they are beginning to get some hard data, which I think is fantastic.

Now, I think the physics becomes clearer. There is a subduction component which always pulls things along as the denser crust sinks back to its maker. The upper sediments are scraped off like a spatula pushes scrambled eggs, and these form the mountains. Heat may raise the rest of the Him's, but it is not a compression buckling which I had earlier thought of.

Isn't the world amazing?