The Himalayas, like, the Alps, were born out of the Tethys but the hinterland was in the north while the foreland (The Peninsula of India) was in the south and virtually remained unmoved. According to Kober, the situation of the median mass should be the central Tibet. The north-western part of the Indian peninsula lies buried under the comparative new rocks (of Miocene and Pleistocene).
These are many large nappes in this area. The nappe of Kashmir is composed of slate. The fossils of Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras are embedded in it. The nappe of Simla contains fossils of even Cambrian era. Similarly a nappe in the Garhwal Himalayas has now been discovered.
Many reverse faults exist on the southern boundary of the Himalayas.
The modern marks of thrust found in Kunlun ranges indicate that the thrust direction is opposed to the Himalayan orogenetic thrust and is found to be from south to north.
Mountain Building Periods. The account of the Alps given by Polibius 2000 years ago is correct for the Alps of today. The Himalayas were born 60 million years ago but they are still young.
Orogenetic movements must have taken prior to Cambrian era (1500 million years ago) but nothing is known about them. Three mountain building movements have taken place after the Cambrian. These movements have continued for a long period. There is a period of quiescence (Quiet period) between any two mountain building movements.
The period in which sediment goes on depositing in a geosyncline is known as period of quiescence. When this sediment is compressed mountain building starts. Erosion work on mountains and erodes away a lot of rocks from them. This disturbs the isostatic balance. When mountains are cut down to a low height with a rounded form, the mountains rise again to correct the isostatic balance. The process is cyclic. Many evidences of mountains rising time and again are available in the Scandinavia.
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