The Indian tectonic plate is breaking into two. It's happening beneath Tibet

• In a new discovery that could reshape our understanding of the forces shaping the Earth's highest mountains
• Researchers have unveiled new seismic data indicating that the Indian tectonic plate is splitting in two beneath the Tibetan plateau.

Key Highlight

• This revelation was presented at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco and offers a fresh perspective on the colossal Himalayan mountain range's formation.
• For decades, geologists have known that the Himalayas owe their towering presence to the collision of the Indian and Eurasian continental plates.
• The process, which began around 60 million years ago.
• It has been likened to the crumpling of a car's hood in a head-on collision, with the Indian plate being driven beneath its northern neighbor by the currents of molten rock within the Earth's mantle.
• Over time, this tectonic interaction has thrust the Eurasian landmass skyward, creating the planet's highest elevations.
• However, the latest analysis challenges previous assumptions about the subduction of the buoyant Indian plate.
• Rather than sinking smoothly into the mantle's depths, the seismic data suggests a more complex scenario where the plate is delaminating.
• The dense base of the Indian plate is peeling away and descending into the mantle, while its lighter top portion continues to scrape just beneath the Eurasian plate.
• The findings indicate that the Indian slab is neither gliding along nor crumpling uniformly but is undergoing a dramatic structural separation.
• Some sections of the plate appear relatively intact, while others are fragmenting approximately 100 kilometers below the surface, allowing the base to deform into the Earth's fiery core.
• This seismic investigation aligns with geological models based on helium-3 enriched spring water and patterns of fractures and earthquakes near the surface.
• Together, these pieces of evidence paint a picture of tectonic turmoil deep beneath the Himalayas.
• The implications of this study are profound, not only for our understanding of mountain formation but also for earthquake prediction methods.

Prelims Takeaway

• Helium-3
• Tectonic plates