Explain why the Himalayas is naturally active in terms of geomorphological processes.
The Himalayas is a mountain range in Asia that lies between the Indian subcontinent and the Tibetan Plateau. Its formation began around 45 million years ago and continues up until now. The Indo-Australian plate is moving into the Asian plate and the Himalayas is rising about 5 mm per year. Because of the plate movement the region of Himalayas is also seismically active. Along with the earthquakes, such natural hazards as floods, landslides, and erosions also happen in the Himalayas.
There are about 15000 glaciers on the Himalayan range, many of which are declining in size. The higher parts of the mountain range are covered with snow all year long. The snow as well as some of the glaciers melt and the water flows into several rivers, most of which compose two large basins: the Indus Basin the Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin.
Rainstorms and snow melts cause floods in the Himalayas. Sub-tropical climate together with high and steep landscapes and weakened rocks are responsible for landslide and erosion. Active tectonics cause many landslides, which occur nearly everywhere in the Himalayas. One of these events can cause a chain reaction. For example, an earthquake or heavy rainstorms can trigger a landslide; a landslide can block a river, create a dam, which will lead to a flood.
