The Himalayas-Tibetan plateau is known as the "Roof of the World" and is home to some of the highest mountains in the world, such as Mount Everest. But its magnificent geological structure also means that it is one of the most representative instances of intercontinental collision.
For that reason, many scientists have believed that it is the ideal playground to study and uncover the mystery of continental convergence and plate tectonics. Scientists have been conducting seismic tests in the region for approximately 70 years since the 1950s.
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) show the high, arid, Tibetan Plateau in Asia. Tibet lies north of the Himalaya Mountains in Nepal. The Plateau is dotted with a mixture of fresh and salt water lakes. For example, the two lakes in the left-center portion of the image near the Nepal-China border are fresh water, while the large lakes in the cluster to the northeast are salt water. Sensor: Terra/MODIS. Data Start Date: 12/9/02. Data End Date: 12/9/02.
Unlocking the Mysteries of Continent-Continent Collision
In the study titled, "Deep Seismic Reflection Profile Reveals the Deep Process of Land-Continent Collision and Crustal Growth on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau," published in Earth Science Frontiers, Chinese scientists described the structure of the crust under the Himalayan-Tibetan plateau and the deep behaviors underlying the ongoing continent-continent collision.
"The Himalayan-Tibetan plateau can be considered a sort of Rosetta Stone to unlocking the mysteries of continent-continent collision. The area can be regarded as the natural laboratory to investigate the phenomenon," study first author Professor Gao Rui of the Sun Yat-sen University said in the press release via PR Newswire.
Researchers used a method called deep seismic reflection profiling to define the fine architecture underlying the Tibetan Plateau. This method includes sending artificially generated sound waves into the ground that will hit different structures and objects beneath, which will bounce back a portion of the sound waves that will be processed to develop a visual of the underground structure of the plateau.
The team noted that due to the height, and inclement weather conditions of the Tibetan Plateau, it has been more difficult to conduct the task. They have been studying the region for two decades and have since overcome difficulties and bottlenecks to access the lowermost parts of the plateau's crust and the Mohorovicic discontinuity (Moho).
According to The Tribune India, the Moho describes the boundary between the crust and the mantle. The team has documented the ongoing continental deformation and subduction processes in all directions of the Tibetan plateau and the hinterland of the plateau.
Four Points of the Study
The Deccan Herald reported that the Chinese study could be divided into four points. The first is the Indian crust beneath the plateau is experiencing northward subduction while its lower layers have varied thicknesses.
The second point is the Indian crust's subducting front in close contact with the Eurasian plate's lower crust and mantle suture. Third, The Tethyan Himalayas and the Lhasa Terrane, two areas of the plateau, collided vertically on a crustal scale.
Lastly, The Eurasian plate is subducting beneath the Qilian Mountains in a southerly direction, causing the Qilian crust to move northward.
RELATED ARTICLE: Tibetan Plateau Ice-Covered Lakes Influencing Heat Transfer in Land, Atmosphere
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