A new study reveals that beneath the Himalayas, there may be a force strong enough to split the Tibetan Plateau in two.
Presented at the American Geophysical Union conference, a team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center of China, and Stanford University (USA) warns that the Indian tectonic plate may be splitting into two as it slides beneath the Eurasian plate, tearing apart Tibet.
Majestic landscape of Tibet – (Photo: THE LANDS OF SNOW).
The Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates have long been in collision. In this interaction, the Indian plate is sliding beneath, uplifting the Eurasian plate.
This is a normal process in the Earth’s tectonic activity, where its “shell fragments,” carrying parts of continents and oceans, continuously move and reshape landscapes, creating geological phenomena including volcanoes and earthquakes.
The collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates has formed the Himalayas, making them increasingly majestic over millions of years.
New research shows that this collision is particularly complex.
Most of the Indian plate is merely sliding beneath the Eurasian plate without sinking into the mantle. However, a deeper section is being pulled down, meaning it is being drawn deep into the mantle.
This causes the plate to become increasingly warped, as one half clings to Tibet while the other half is being pulled downward by immense forces.
This process could lead to the plate breaking apart when the upper half detaches or peels away, ultimately resulting in the destruction of the Tibetan Plateau by tearing it in two.
To gain a comprehensive view, scientists investigated seismic waves recorded in the Tibetan region and discovered that the base of the Indian plate extends down to 200 kilometers, whereas other areas are only 100 kilometers deep.
This suggests that some parts of the Indian plate have now detached, and the process of splitting Tibet is occurring silently beneath the surface.
However, there is no need to be overly concerned, as tectonic processes are lengthy. For a continental plate to show significant movement, one must observe it over tens or hundreds of millions of years.
