'Helium hint from Tibet': India’s plate may be peeling like layers of a giant geologic onion
Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Plate Fracture
Beneath India, a slow-motion fracture is unfolding as the tectonic plate begins splitting horizontally into layers, a phenomenon rarely seen before in geology.
Representative pic
Tibetan Lift
Tibet’s sky-high elevation might be explained by one plate layer floating upward—Stanford geophysicist Simon Klemperer’s research suggests this vertical split is pushing it skyward.
Mantle Whisper
Unusual helium levels in Tibetan springs hint that Earth's mantle is brushing closer to the surface, indicating tectonic delamination, according to ESS Open Archive findings.
Representative pic
Helium Clues
Rare helium-3 bubbling up in northern Tibet points to mantle exposure, while common helium-4 in the south implies the plate hasn't yet torn through there.
Representative pic
Double Trouble
Rather than splitting like a cookie, the Indian Plate is layering apart—doubling the complexity of Earth's crust dynamics, say experts at the AGU conference.
New Theory
At December’s AGU conference, a radical theory emerged—Tibet’s height may stem from the Indian Plate peeling like an onion, not crashing into Eurasia.
Representative pic
Crust Dive
The lower slab of the Indian Plate may be diving deep into Earth’s mantle, reshaping our understanding of mountain formation, per Stanford-led models.
Representative pic
Continental Shock
Professor Douwe van Hinsbergen admits, “We didn’t know continents could behave this way”—a bold reminder that Earth still holds tectonic surprises.
Hidden Layers
What lies beneath may redefine plate tectonics, with delamination suggesting a layered planet much more complex than flat-moving puzzle pieces.
Representative pic