Question

Explain the origin of the Himalayan mountains.

Answer 1

Hint:A mountain is a large mass of land that rises to a great height, much above the surrounding area.Peak is the top of a mountain. It may be sharp or rounded in shape. It slopes down to the base, which is generally wide.

Complete answer:
Earth crust was initially a single giant supercontinent called pangea, according to the theory of plate tectonics. Northern part was called Angara land and the southern part was called gondwanaland. The split into a number of Pieces by conventional current which lead to drifting of indo-australian plate after being separated from gondwanaland towards north due to collision sedimentary rocks .
The mountains can be classified into four types on the basis of origin and variety of forms - fold mountains, block mountains, volcanic mountains and residual mountains.

Fold mountain: When the horizontal layers of sediments deposited on the sea bed are subjected to the force of compression from both sides, they are squeezed and folded. Gradually they get uplifted and form extensive fold mountains. The Himalayas, the Alps, the Andes and the Rockies are young uplift fold mountains formed in the recent geological ages. They are very high, with rugged relief and are sharp pointed peaks. The old fold mountains like the Urals, the Appalachians and the Aravallis are low in height and have rounded peaks. The forces of erosion have acted upon them for centuries.

Note:Mountains generally occur in long chains called ranges which stretch over hundreds of kilometres.Some mountain peaks are permanently covered with snow and are called snow caps or snow fields.A common feature on the slopes of many mountains there are glaciers. These glaciers give rise to perennial rivers.