RAS question
Plate tectonics: India lies on which plate?
Correct answer: (C) Indo-Australian Plate (Indian Plate).
India lies on the Indo-Australian Plate, also referred to as the Indian Plate.
Explanation
India is located on the Indo-Australian Plate, specifically the Indian Plate. The plate name connects directly with the collision story behind the Himalayas. The Department of Science & Technology, Government of India describes the plate-tectonic record of the north-western Himalaya as documenting subduction, maturation and collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates. The eventual collision closed the Neo-Tethys Ocean and uplifted the Himalaya. The Eurasian Plate is closely linked to Himalayan formation but is not the plate on which India lies: it is the plate with which the Indian Plate collided. The ongoing push keeps the Himalayan region geologically active.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The Eurasian Plate is the plate with which the Indian Plate collided, so it explains Himalayan formation but is not the plate on which India lies.
- (B) The African Plate is a separate tectonic plate, while India lies on the Indian component of the Indo-Australian Plate.
- (D) The Pacific Plate is associated with the Pacific Ocean, whereas India's plate-tectonic setting concerns the Indian Plate's collision with Eurasia.
Concept
Plate tectonics underpins Indian physiography, especially the link between India's plate position and Himalayan formation. RAS physical geography often connects landforms, tectonic movement and seismicity.