THE HIMALAYAS

• Young and fold mountains.
• Formed as a collision of Indo -Australian plate with Eurasian plate.
• Length -2500 km
• Width – 400 Km in Kashmir to 150 km in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Most of the Himalayan ranges fell in India ,Nepal and Bhutan.
• Northern- partly situated in Tibet (trans himalayas)
• western part are extremely in Pakistan Afghanistan and central Asia.
• GRADIENT
• Southern slope- steep gradients.
• Northern slopes- gentler slopes
• Brahmputra marks the easternmost boundry of Himalayas.

Three ranges of Himalayas:

Lesser Himalayas or Trans Himalayas or Middle Himalayas (Himachal Range)

• Also known as Tibetan Himalayas  ( most of it lies in Tibet)
• North of Great Himalayas.
• Length – 1000 km
• Ranges-Kailash ,Zaskar,Ladakh,karakoram.

 

Greater Himalayas (Himadri)

• South of Trans Himalayas
• Loftiest of all
• Average Height:-6000m
• Granite core
• Mt.Everest (8848km)highest peak in Nepal
• Kanchanjunga (8598km) highest peak in India.
• Most continous mountain range in the world.
• Middle or Lesser Himalayasor Himachal:-
• South of Himadri
• Most rugged
• Average Altitude is between 3700-4500km
• Hill Station
• Famous ranges:-Pirpanjal ( longest).
• Famos valley :- Kasmir, kullu kangra.

 

Shivalik Range /Outer Himalayas:

• Overlooking the great plains
• Average Altitude is between 900km and 1100km
• Composed of unconsolidated sediments.
• Purvachal hills :
• Also known as eastern himalayas.
• Composed of strong sandstones/sedimentary rocks.
• Beyond Dihang Gorge (Nimcha Barwa Gorge)

• The Himalayas turn sharply south in a crescent shape
• Extended from Arunachal Pradesh in North and Mizoram in south
• Main hills:- Patkai Hills Naga hills Manipur Hills and Mizo hills