How do convergent plate boundaries create mountain ranges such as the Himalayas?

Mountain ranges like the Himalayas are created through a process known as continental collision, which occurs at convergent margins. Unlike subduction, where one plate sinks into the mantle, continental collision involves two buoyant plate margins that resist subduction, forcing one continent to override the other.12

As the Indian subcontinent collided with and penetrated into Asia, the intense pressure caused crustal shortening and thickening. Rocks from the leading edge of the Indian plate were scraped off and thrust onto one another, creating the complex, layered structure of the Himalayan chain. This process forces the crust skyward, forming high peaks and deep crustal roots that extend up to 80 km into the Earth, in accordance with the principles of isostasy.134

The elevation is further supported by the strength of the underlying lithosphere, which flexes under the weight of the mountains, and the buoyancy of the thickened crust, particularly beneath the Plateau of Tibet.4