<p>As the continental crust is too buoyant (light) to be subducted, when two continents collide they smash against each other creating a mountain range, in this case the Himalayas.
This process happen trough <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrust_fault" rel="nofollow noreferrer">thrusting</a> and folding of the plates, leading to something called lithospheric shortening. Which basically means that the plates (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithosphere" rel="nofollow noreferrer">lithosphere</a> is the stuff of which plates are made of) gets shorter. In other words: <strong>the area of the colliding continents gets smaller</strong>. And the missing area is used to build up the mountains by thrusting and folding, a process that is nicely illustrated by the following animated GIF that I put together from <a href="http://emvc.geol.ucsb.edu/2_infopgs/IP5TransR/fPlioPleistShortening.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">a video</a> by the <a href="http://emvc.geol.ucsb.edu/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Department of Earth Sciences</a> of <a href="https://www.ucsb.edu/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">UC Santa Barbara</a>.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/lCQQT.gif" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/lCQQT.gif" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>In <a href="https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/13558/volcanoes-in-the-alps-and-himalayas-and-the-subduction-of-tethys-sea/13572#13572">this question</a>, this process is also discussed.</p>

<p>In regard  of the Monsoon, it is not a direct consequence of this collision. But it is due to the fact that Eurasia is a big continent close to the equatorial Indian ocean. Now, as this collision helped to put together Eurasia and bring it closer to the equatorial Indian ocean in the area associated with the Monsoon, you can argue that played a significant role in creating the Monsoons as we know them.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-29T05:02:24.373Z
2018-03-29T05:02:24.373Z
Camilo Rada
<p>I am a high school student, my question is about the collision between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. When this happens what happens to the area of the Asian continent. Does it increase or decrease? Also, south Asia gets Monsoon rains, is this an effect of this collision?</p>

<geology><plate-tectonics><continental-rifting><lithosphere><orography>
Movements of the tectonic plates - collison between Indian Plate & Eurasian Plate
Crazy_39365
# Movements of the tectonic plates - collison between Indian Plate & Eurasian Plate

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-03-28)

I am a high school student, my question is about the collision between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. When this happens what happens to the area of the Asian continent. Does it increase or decrease? Also, south Asia gets Monsoon rains, is this an effect of this collision?

**Tags:** geology, plate-tectonics, continental-rifting, lithosphere, orography


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-03-29. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

As the continental crust is too buoyant (light) to be subducted, when two continents collide they smash against each other creating a mountain range, in this case the Himalayas.
This process happen trough [thrusting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrust_fault) and folding of the plates, leading to something called lithospheric shortening. Which basically means that the plates ([lithosphere](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithosphere) is the stuff of which plates are made of) gets shorter. In other words: **the area of the colliding continents gets smaller**. And the missing area is used to build up the mountains by thrusting and folding, a process that is nicely illustrated by the following animated GIF that I put together from [a video](http://emvc.geol.ucsb.edu/2_infopgs/IP5TransR/fPlioPleistShortening.html) by the [Department of Earth Sciences](http://emvc.geol.ucsb.edu/) of [UC Santa Barbara](https://www.ucsb.edu/).

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/lCQQT.gif)](https://i.sstatic.net/lCQQT.gif)

In [this question](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/13558/volcanoes-in-the-alps-and-himalayas-and-the-subduction-of-tethys-sea/13572#13572), this process is also discussed.

In regard of the Monsoon, it is not a direct consequence of this collision. But it is due to the fact that Eurasia is a big continent close to the equatorial Indian ocean. Now, as this collision helped to put together Eurasia and bring it closer to the equatorial Indian ocean in the area associated with the Monsoon, you can argue that played a significant role in creating the Monsoons as we know them.


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