Physical Features of India - GEO CLASS 9

Himalayas

• young fold mountains, northern border, Indus → Bramhaputra

• 2400km arc

• width - 150km(arunanchal) to 400km(kashmir)

• greater height variation in east

• duns(valleys between himachal, shiwalik) - dehradun, kotli dun, patli dun

• sharp southward turn from dihang gorge, spread along eastern border

himadri/greater/inner himalayas

• continuous, 6000m, asymmetrical, granite, perennial snow

• mt. everest - 8848m, kanchenjunga - 8598, makalu - 8481

himachal / lesser himalayas

• rugged, compressed rocks

• 3700-4500m, 50km width

• Pir Panjal(longest), Dhaula Dhar, Mahabharat

• valley of Kashmir, Kangra and Kullu Valleyrugged, compressed rocks

• 3700-4500m, 50km width

• Pir Panjal(longest), Dhaula Dhar, Mahabharat

• valley of Kashmir, Kangra and Kullu Valleyrugged, compressed rocks

• 3700-4500m, 50km width

• Pir Panjal(longest), Dhaula Dhar, Mahabharat

• valley of Kashmir, Kangra and Kullu Valley

shiwalik

• 900-1100m, 10-50km width

• unconsolidated sediments brought from rivers from main himalayas

• covered with gravel, aluminium

purvanchal

• strong sandstone, densely forested, parallel ranges

• patkai hills, naga hills, manipur hills, mizo hills

Northern Plains

indus, ganga, brahmaputra

formed from alluvium deposition at foothills of himalayas

7 lakh km² - 2400km length, 240-320km breadth

densely populated

majauli (bramhaputra) - largest inhabited riverine island

lower course

• slow down due to gentler course, form riverine islands

• split into distributaries (due to silt)

sections (west to east)

punjab plain

pakistan, indus, doabs

ganga plain

• ghaggar to teesta rivers

• north india, haryana, delhi, up, bihar, jharkhand, wb

bramhaputra plain (assam)

regions(north to south)

• bhabar - width - 8 to 16km, parallel to shiwalik, rivers deposit pebbles, disappear

• terai - streams reappear, swamp, thick forest cut for migrants after partition

• bhangar - old alluvium, terrace-like, kankar

• khadar - renewed every year, intensive agriculture

• real old, tableland, rounded hills

• crystalline / igneous / metamorphic rocks, formed from drifting of Gondwana land

• full of minerals, boosted industrialisation

• real old, tableland, rounded hills

• crystalline / igneous / metamorphic rocks, formed from drifting of Gondwana land

• full of minerals, boosted industrialisation

• real old, tableland, rounded hills

• crystalline / igneous / metamorphic rocks, formed from drifting of Gondwana land

• full of minerals, boosted industrialisation

Peninsular Plaeau

• real old, tableland, rounded hills

• crystalline / igneous / metamorphic rocks, formed from drifting of Gondwana land

• full of minerals, boosted industrialisation

Central Highlands

• north of narmada

• covers malwa plateau

• vindhya bounded by satpura on south, aravali on northwest

• western extension merges with rajasthan desert

• rivers flow southwest to northeast- chambal, sind, betwa, ken

• wider in west

• eastward extension - bundelkhand, baghelkhan (even more east → chhotanagpur(drained by damodar))

Western Ghats

• parallel to western coast

• continuous

• thal, bhor, pal ghats

• 900-1600m, height increases north to south

• orographic rain- moist winds rise along its slope

• anai mudi(2,695m), doda betta(2,637m)

Eastern Ghats

• dissected by rivers draining into BoB (not continuous)

• 600m

• mahanadi valley(north) to nilgiris(south)

• highest peak - mahendragiri(1,501m)

• southeastern extension - shevroy hills, javadi hills

• ooty = kodaikanal = udagamandalam

Deccan Plateau

• inverted triangle, satpura as base

• eastern extension - mahadev, kaimur hills, maikal range

• higher in west

• northeastern extension - meghalaya, karbi-anglong plateau, north cachar hills

• separated from chhotanagpur by a fault

• hill ranges(west to east) - Garo, Khasi, Jaintia

deccan trap - black soil region made from igneous rocks(volcanic)

aravali hills - northern, northwestern boundary, ‘broken hills’, gujarat(southwest) to delhi(northeast)

aravali hills - northern, northwestern boundary, ‘broken hills’, gujarat(southwest) to delhi(northeast)

Indian Desert

• western margin of aravali

• sandy plain, sand dune, 150mm rainfall, arid, streams only in monsoon, luni river

• barchans(crescent-shaped dunes), longitudinal dunes near indo-pak

Coastal plains (narrow strips)

western coast (north to south)

• konkan (mumbai-goa)

• kannad plain

• malabar coast

eastern coast (north to south)

• northern circar

• coromandel coast

• mahanadi, godavari, krishna, kaveri rivers form deltas

• lake chilika(odisha) - largest saltwater lake in india

Islands

lakshadweep

• coral island, 32 km², kavaratti island(hq), pitti island(bird sanctuary)

• laccaadive, minicoy and amindive- renamed in 1973

andaman and nicobar

• bigger, more scattered

• andaman(north), nicobar(south)

• elevated portion of submarine himalayas

• densely forested

• barren island - india’s only active volcano