Geological History
From sea to mountain
The mountains of J&K are young fold mountains, made when the Indian Plate collided with the Eurasian Plate (about 50 million years ago) and closed the Tethys Sea.
- Tethys Sea sediments were squeezed up to form the Himalaya. This is why fossils of sea animals are found at high altitude in Ladakh and Zanskar.
- The collision is still going on: India moves north by about 5 cm a year, so the region is earthquake-prone.
The rock sequence
| Zone | Rocks | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Shiwalik | Sandstone, clay and conglomerates (young, soft) | Southern edge near Jammu |
| Pir Panjal | Panjal Traps (volcanic lava, Permian), slate, limestone | Between Jammu and Kashmir Valley |
| Kashmir Valley | Karewa lake deposits (clay, sand, silt) on older rock | Valley floor and low plateaus |
| Great Himalaya and Zanskar | Granite, gneiss and metamorphic rocks | Zanskar, Kishtwar, Nun-Kun |
| Indus Suture Zone | Ophiolites (old ocean floor), Indus molasse | Along the Indus in Ladakh |
| Ladakh Batholith | Granite (intrusive) | Ladakh Range |
| Karakoram | Granite, metamorphic rocks, limestone | North of the Shyok |
The Indus Suture Zone
The Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zone marks the line where India and Asia joined. It follows the Indus River in Ladakh. North of it the rocks belong to Asia (the Ladakh and Karakoram ranges). South of it they belong to India.
Karewas: the dried lake
- In the Pleistocene, a lake Satisar (Sati-Sar) filled the Kashmir Valley, when the Baramulla gorge was blocked by uplift of the Pir Panjal.
- When the gorge opened, the lake drained and left Karewas (Wudar in Kashmiri), flat-topped terraces of clay and silt.
- Karewas hold fossils and are famous for saffron, almond and apple orchards, for example at Pampore and Budgam.
Keep practising
Notes are only half the work. Test yourself with questions and discuss doubts with other aspirants.
Prepared for exam revision from standard sources, official publications and the Census. Figures and recent developments change, so check official sources before relying on them. Found a mistake? Tell us.