The collision between the Indian subcontinent and the Eurasian continent, which started in Paleogene time and

continues today, produced the Himalaya and the Tib etan Plateau, a spectacular modern example of the effects of plate tectonics. Ne pal lies completely within this collision zone, occupying the central sector of the Himalayan arc, nearly one third of the 2,400 km (1,500 mi)-long Himalayas.[3 2][33][34][35][36][37] The Indian plate continues to move north relative to Asia at the rate of approxi mately 50 mm (2.0 in) per year.[38] Given the great magnitudes of the blocks of the Earth's crust involved, this is remarkably fast, about twice the speed at wh ich human fingernails grow. As the strong Indian continental crust subducts bene ath the relatively weak Tibetan crust, it pushes up the Himalayan mountains. Thi s collision zone has accommodated huge amounts of crustal shortening as the rock sequences slide one over another. As such Nepal is prone to frequent earthquake s, a major earthquake happening within every 100 years.[39] Erosion of the Himalayas is a very important source of sediment, which flows via several great rivers (the Indus to the Indian Ocean, and the Ganges and Brahmap utra river system) to the Bay of Bengal.