Indian Plate
WHAT IS INDIAN PLATE?
- India, which was once a part of the ancient continent Gondwanaland, split away 100 million years ago and began drifting northwards.
- The Indian plate includes
- Peninsular India
- Australian continent portions.
- The subduction zone along the Himalayas forms the northern plate boundary.
HOW DID INDIAN PLATE MOVE?
- In the east, it extended from the Rakinyoma Mountains of Myanmar towards the island arc along the Java Trench.
- The Western margin further extended along the Makrana coast and joined the spreading site from the Red Sea rift southeastward along the Chagos Archipelago.
- India was a large island situated off the Australian coast.
- The Tethys Sea separated Indian Plate from the Asian continent until about 225 million years ago.
- India supposed to start her journey northward about 200 million years ago when Pangaea broke.
- India collided with Asiatic plate about 40-50 million years ago and caused rapid uplift of the Himalayas.
- About 140 million years ago, the subcontinent was located as south as 50 degrees south latitude.
- The two major plates were separated by the Tethys Sea and the Tibetan block.