Himalayas: 5 Things You Should Know

Question: India was once an island drifting across the ocean, far from Asia. How did India’s journey create the tallest mountains on Earth?

Answer: The Himalayas were born when the Indian plate crashed into Asia about 50 million years ago. The land buckled and folded upward, forming the highest mountains on the planet.

Question: Climbers on Everest have found fossils of sea creatures near the top. How did ocean life end up on the world’s highest peak?

Answer: The top of Everest is made of limestone that formed under an ancient ocean called the Tethys Sea. When India hit Asia, that seafloor was pushed nearly 9 kilometers into the sky.

Question: Everest stands about 8,849 meters tall, yet its height is not fixed. Why do the Himalayas keep getting a little taller each year?

Answer: The Indian plate is still moving north a few centimeters each year. That ongoing push raises the Himalayas by a few millimeters annually and also causes powerful earthquakes in the region.

Question: The Ganges, Indus, and Brahmaputra rivers all start in the Himalayas and serve over a billion people. What feeds these rivers?

Answer: The Himalayas hold so much ice they’re nicknamed “the Third Pole,” and they trap monsoon clouds that drop heavy rain. That frozen and falling water feeds rivers that well over a billion people depend on.

Question: Sherpa guides climb Everest carrying heavy loads in air with a third of sea level’s oxygen. How do they manage?

Answer: Sherpas have lived in the high Himalayas for centuries, and their bodies have adapted to make efficient use of scarce oxygen. Without their skill and strength, most Everest expeditions would not succeed.