LHASA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Will the Himalaya
Mountains, home to the world's highest peaks, continue to push up into the sky
in future? Some Chinese scientists say no.
The Himalayas may have reached their highest altitude
and in the centuries to come even shrink a little, said Bian Qiantao, a
researcher with the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy
of Science.
Bian is taking part in a month-long scientific
expedition to the Himalayas.
Located on the southern rim of the Qinghai-Tibet
Plateau, the Himalaya Mountains form an arc protruding southward. The main
partof the range lies in China. "Himalaya" means "abode of snow" in Tibetan. The
average height of these mountains is more than 6,000 meters.
Scientists believe that 65 million years ago, the
Indian Plate moving north collided with the Eurasian Plate, and the upheaval saw
the emergence of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as well as the Himalayas.
"Friction between the tectonic plates continues to
this day, gradually pushing the Himalayas upward," said Bian.
"But at the same time, a horizontal pulling power
inside the lower continental crust and mantle of the earth counteracts this
upward movement," said Bian.
According to measurements made by scientists in 2005,
the altitude of Mount Qomolangma, or Everest, is 8844.43 meters, 3.70 meters
lower than the figure obtained in 1975.
The result suggests that the Himalayas and the
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau will not continue to move up indefinitely. After growing
to a certain height, the effect of gravity and collision-generated extrusion
will make them grow horizontally, wider but not higher, Bian said.
Other scientists argue that if the range grows
horizontally, a huge graben - a basin formed between parallel fault lines - will
be formed somewhere on the plateau. They believe that as the collision of
continents continues, the altitude of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the
Himalayas will continue to increase. Enditem
