Himalayan river are older than himalayas (give reasons ).
Answers
Answer:
Though the Himalayas form a watershed owing to their height, the major rivers such as the Indus, the Sutluj and the Brahmaputra have their sources near Manasarovar in Tibet. The rivers like Ganga and Yamuna are originated from Gangotri and Yamontri glacier regions in the Himalayas. Though the Himadri is about 1500 metres above the sea level of the sources of these rivers, they pass through narrow gorges even as the mountain ranges were uplifted. These are examples of antecedent rivers. The theory that rivers rising near Manosaravar are antecedent is subject of controversy. This can also be a result of headward erosion or river piracy. The Brahmaputra might have been the Tsangpo River flowing eastward to the Pacific Ocean. A river rising on the southern sides of Himalayas will have steeper gradients and since the eastern Himalayas enjoy heavier rainfall it is possible to assume that this river by headward erosion would have pushed back to its origin to the otherside and captured the upper portion of the Tsangpo. The bed of Si Kiang is a case in point. It is possible that Tsangpo continued eastward as Si Kiang river. Successive river capture by the Brahmaputra, the Irrawaddy, and Mekong Rivers would have reduced Si Kiang to a misfit and the land between Tsangpo and Si Kiang a wind gap. There is a mention in the ancient literatures of an eastward flowing river called Indo-Brahma to the south of the Himalayas. Intensive survey of the areas is needed before a final decision is made regarding the antecedence of the Himalayan Rivers.
Answer:
The Himalayas are drained by 19 major rivers, of which the Indus and the Brahmaputra are the largest, each having catchment basins in the mountains of about 100,000 square miles (260,000 square km) in extent. Five of the 19 rivers, with a total catchment area of about 51,000 square miles (132,000 square km), belong to the Indus system—the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas, and the Sutlej—and collectively define the vast region divided between Punjab state in India and Punjab province in Pakistan. Of the remaining rivers, nine belong to the Ganges system—the Ganges, Yamuna, Ramganga, Kali (Kali Gandak), Karnali, Rapti, Gandak, Baghmati, and Kosi rivers—draining roughly 84,000 square miles (218,000 square km) in the mountains, and three belong to the Brahmaputra system—the Tista, the Raidak, and the Manas—draining another 71,000 square miles (184,000 square km) in the Himalayas.