BotEC: The Himalayas and Continental Drift The story of the
Himalayas can be traced back to the breakup of the
supercontinent, called Pangaea, about 200 million years ago,
when India began its rapid movement northward towards Asia. Asia
was a much smaller continent then. Then, between 45 and 55
million years ago, India and Asia collided. Before collision,
India moved northward at about 7-10 centimeters per year.
Remarkably, India's northward movement was slowed only a little
after the collision—it continues to plow into Asia at a rate of
5-6 centimeters per year. We can measure the present northward
movement of India into Asia using GPS measurements over a period
of time. So, there is little doubt of the continued movement of
India. There is much debate about how the northward march of
India into Asia is being accommodated. Of course, the high
Himalayan Plateau is a manifestation of this collision between
two continents. Let's assume that India began to plow into the
Asian continent 55 million years ago and t