The Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy and Mekong Rivers originate in Tibet’s narrow and parallel mountain ranges in their upper reaches. Of these rivers, Brahmaputra makes a “U” turn in its course to flow into India. This “U” turn is due to

1. Uplift of folded Himalayan series
2. Syntaxial bending of geologically young Himalayas
3. Geo-tectonic disturbance in the tertiary folded mountain chains
4. Both (a) and (b) above

Explanation

Option (b) is correct

• The Himalayas stretch in an east-west direction from the Indus Gorge in the west to the Brahmaputra Gorge in the east. At these gorges, the Himalayan ranges sharply bend southward. These bends are referred to as the syntaxial bends of the Himalayas.
• The western syntaxial bend is situated near Nanga Parbat, the western tip of the Zanskar Range (where the Indus River has carved a deep gorge). The eastern syntaxial bend is located near Namche Barwa.

Answer: (b) It Syntaxial bending of geologically young Himalayas | Difficulty Level: Easy