The Himalayan and Tibetan Plateau Ecosystems

The Tibetan Plateau is the largest and highest plateau on Earth, covering roughly 2.5 million square kilometers at an average elevation of about 4,500 meters. It has been called the "Third Pole," a term popularized by the Chinese glaciologist Yao Tandong, because it holds the largest volume of ice outside the Arctic and Antarctic. The plateau formed as part of the ongoing collision between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, a process that began roughly 50 million years ago and continues to push the surrounding Himalayan range upward today.