When did the Himalayan mountain range form?

Answer 1

There is widespread agreement among geologists that the Himalayas began forming roughly 50-70 million years ago when the northward-moving Indo-Australian tectonic plate began colliding with the relatively stationary Eurasian Plate. The boundary of the collision is called the Tibetan Plateau, which was shattered and pushed upward to form the great Himalyan peaks such as Mt Everest.

First to collide were the leading edges of the continental shelves, where massive amounts of seafloor ocean sediments and sedimentary rock were being tilted and thrust upward. Evidence of this exists on the top of Mt. Everest, the world's highest peak above sea level, where there are ancient marine fossils in abundance.

The Indo-Australian Plate continues to be driven northward, sliding under the Tibetan Plateau at the rate of about 6.7 cm (2.6 inches) per year and causes the Plateau to continue to be pushed upward. The Indo-Australian Plate has slowed to less than half of its original velocity, but it appears likely that it will continue moving northward for roughly another 10 million years, creating a Himalayan-like landscape as far north as 1500 km (930 miles) from the present range of mountains.

Answer 2

The Himalayan mountain range began to form around 50 million years ago during the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. This ongoing collision continues to uplift the Himalayas, resulting in their remarkable height and complexity.