Everest was born after Asia was squeezed like tube of toothpaste

Researchers have claimed that Mt. Everest was born after Asia was squeezed like a tube of toothpaste.

The researchers have said that when India collided into the rest of Asia it led to the formation of the Himalayas, which is the host to many of the world's 100 highest peaks, including Everest, New Scientist reported.

Louis Moresi of the University of Melbourne, Australia, and his team built a computer model which helped explain the happenings after the collision of continents.

The computer model showed that when one continent bearing thick or buoyant crust blocks subduction, the other gets squeezed and folds around the blockage, and in the process creates a complex array of geophysical features.

The researchers then tested the model on Himalayas. Their model suggests that as India collides with Eurasia, China and South-East Asia initially resist being pushed down, and then gets pushed aside instead, which leads to the unclogging of the subduction zone that allows India to keep pushing into Eurasia and creating Mt. Everest.