The area is dominated by the Hindu Kush mountains that form the western end of the Himalayas. This area, the juncture along which the Indo-Pakistan and Asian crustal plates collide, is one of the most dynamic geological regions in the world. The Hindu Kush mountains are at the western end of a succession of important gem-producing regions whose formation can be linked to the sequence of events that resulted in the formation of the Himalayas. The emerald mining district is on the southern slopes of the Hindu Kush, south of the Panjshir river.