Himalayan movement can be divided into early and late stages. In the early Himalayan movement, the Indian Ocean plate collided strongly with the Asian continent along the suture line of the Yarlung Zangbo River. The Himalayan geosyncline closed and folded into land, merging the Indian continent with the Asian continent. At the same time, the eastern part of China and the Pacific plate cracked and the basin sank, which made the eastern edge of Chinese mainland enter the stage of marginal sea island development.
The Himalayas are rich in minerals, but the development is limited to areas that are easy to enter. Jammu and Kashmir is the most concentrated area of minerals. Sapphire was found in the Zaska Mountains, and placer gold was found in the nearby Indus River bed.
There are copper mines in Bertistan and iron mines in Kashmir Valley. Ladakh contains borax and sulfur minerals. A coal seam was discovered in Jammu Mountain. Bauxite also occurs in Jammu and Kashmir. Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim are rich in coal, mica, gypsum and graphite, as well as iron, copper, lead and zinc.