LATERAL COMPRESSION AND THE RISE OF EVEREST When tectonic plates collide, immense geological forces are released. In the case of the Himalayas, the Indian Plate continues to drive northward into the Eurasian Plate. This movement does not only uplift the crust but also compresses the softer rock layers below. This process, known as lateral compression, generates intense folding, faulting, and thickening of the Earth’s crust. Over millions of years, these forces have built the towering Himalayan M