Tectonic Folding in the Himalayas
Tectonic Activities shape the Earth
The crustal movements and deformations driven by the movement of tectonic plates are powerful processes, shaping the surface of the Earth over millions of years. The Earth’s lithosphere, comprising the crust and upper mantle, sees immense forces related to the movement and interaction of these plates, leading to the formation of mountains, rift valleys, earthquakes, and other geological phenomena. Examples illustrating tectonic processes are the Himalayas, where tectonic plates collide, and the East African Rift Valley, where they are pulled apart.
Folding Mountains – the Himalayas
The Himalayas, stretching across South Asia, are the result of the collision between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. This ongoing collision began around 50 million years ago and continues to shape the landscape of the region. The converging plates have caused the uplift of mountain ranges, including Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak with an elevation of 8,849 meters above sea level. The Himalayas exhibit a wealth of geologic processes, including folding and erosion, exposing rock layers of different age.
Exercises
- Satellite Map:
- Look at the satellite image map and try to identify important landuse and land cover classes (focus on bare land, sparse vegetation, dense vegetation, and snow/ice).
- Look at the satellite image and try to identify different landscape features. Can you separate valleys from mountain ridges? Which role do shadows/illumination play for your considerations? Think about the role of the sun position, which is more or less south-southeast of the image.
- Which of the features would you attribute to the folding (uprising) process, which to erosion?
- Identify the location of the Himalayas in the global map above.
- Can you see differences in the vegetation in the southern and in the northern parts of the satellite iamge? What could be the reason why the vegetation in the region north of the Himalayas is scarcer than in the south? Think about the role of mountain ridges as barriers for wind currents.
- Use the layer selector to toggle the satellite image on and off. Compare the information content of the satellite image with that of the OpenStreetMap. Try to identify situations, in which the satellite image can provide valuable additional information.
- Copernicus Browser:
- Open the case study area in the Copernicus Browser.
- Find the most recent Sentinel-2 data covering the case study area.
- Use a false colour infrared representation.
- Compare the extent of the evaporation ponds with that in the latest satellite image in the case study. Can you detect changes? Which reasons can you imagine?
Links and Sources
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PDF document of the case study (includes exercises): English, German, French, Italian, Spanish |
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This case study is covered on pages 24-25 of the printed ESA Schoolatlas – download the PDF document of the page: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish |
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