Movement of the Indian Plate – Distribution of Oceans and Continents

The Indian plate includes Peninsular India and the Australian continental portions.

The subduction zone along the Himalayas forms the northern plate boundary in the form of continent-continent convergence. In the east, it extends through the Rakinyoma Mountains of Myanmar towards the island arc along the Java Trench.

The eastern margin is a spreading site lying to the east of Australia in the form of an oceanic ridge in SW Pacific.

The Western margin follows Kirthar Mountain of Pakistan. It further extends along the Makrana coast and joins the spreading site from the Red Sea rift southeastward along the Chagos Archipelago.

The boundary between India and the Antarctic plate is also marked by oceanic ridge (divergent boundary) running in roughly W-E direction and merging into the spreading site, a little south of New Zealand.

The Tethys Sea separated it from the Asian continent till about 225 million years ago. India collided with Asia about 40-50 million years ago causing rapid uplift of the Himalayas.

About 140 million years before the present, the subcontinent was located as south as 50oS. latitude.

From 40 million years ago and thereafter, the event of formation of the Himalayas took place.