The Himalayas are the definitive example of a Fold mountain. They were formed by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates. While the Nilgiri and Sahyadri (Western Ghats) are often considered structural plateaus or escarpments and the Satpura is a block mountain, the Himalayas consist of folded sedimentary layers of the ancient Tethys Sea. ANSWER: (B) Himalayas
Which of the following is a fold mountain? (A) Nilgiri (B) Himalayas (C) Sahyadri (D) Satpura
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The Himalayas are Young Fold mountains created by powerful compressional forces at a convergent boundary. Geographically, they consist of three parallel ranges—the Himadri, Himachal and Shiwaliks—each displaying intense folding. While other Indian ranges like the Satpura are result of faulting (Block), the Himalayas are result of the buckling of the Earth’s crust. This folding is responsible for the extreme height of peaks like Everest. Their geological structure is highly complex, featuring “nappes” and “overthrusts,” which are typical characteristics of mountain ranges formed by massive horizontal plate movements.