<P> The Alps arose as a result of the collision of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates , in which the Alpine Tethys , which was formerly in between these continents , disappeared . Enormous stress was exerted on sediments of the Alpine Tethys basin and its Mesozoic and early Cenozoic strata were pushed against the stable Eurasian landmass by the northward - moving African landmass . Most of this occurred during the Oligocene and Miocene epochs . The pressure formed great recumbent folds , or nappes , that rose out of what had become the Alpine Tethys and pushed northward , often breaking and sliding one over the other to form gigantic thrust faults . Crystalline basement rocks , which are exposed in the higher central regions , are the rocks forming Mont Blanc , the Matterhorn , and high peaks in the Pennine Alps and Hohe Tauern ( Stampfli & Borel 2004 ) . </P>
what type of plate movement led to the formation of the himalayas mountains
collision of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates