PHYSICAL FEATURES OF IND IN DIA
PLATE BOUNDARIES The movement of the plates results in the building up of stress within the plates and the continental rocks above, leading to folding, faulting and volcanic volc anic acti activity vity.. 1)So 1) Som me pl plat ates es mov ovee aw away ay fr from om ea each ch ot othe herr an and d fo form rm di dive verg rgen entt bo boun unda dary ry.. 2)So 2) Som me pl plat ates es co com me to towa ward rdss ea each ch ot othe herr an and d fo form rm co conv nver erge gent nt bo boun unda dary ry.. 3)In the event of two plates coming together they may either collide and crumble, or one may slide under the other. At times, they may also move hori ho rizo zont ntal ally ly pa past st ea each ch ot othe herr an and d fo form rm tr tran ansf sfor orm m bo boun unda dary ry.. The movement of these plates have changed the position and size of the continents over millions of ye yea ars. Such mov oveements have also infl flu uenced the evol ev olut utio ion n of th thee pr pres esen entt la land ndfo form rm fe feat atur ures es rel elie ieff of In Indi dia. a.
ORLD: PLATE MARGINS W ORLD:
MAJOR PHYSIOGRAPHIC DIVISIONS The physical features of India can be grouped under the following physiographic divisions: i.
The Himalayan Mountains
ii. The No Northern Plains iii. iii. Th Thee Peni Penins nsul ular ar Plate Plateau au iv. iv. The Ind Indian Deser esertt v. The Coastal Plains vi. The Is Islands
THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS
These mountain ranges run in a west-east direction from the Indus to the Brahmaputra. They cover a distance of 2,400Km. Their width varies from 400Km in Kashmir to 150Km in Arunachal Pradesh. The altitudinal variations are greater in the eastern half than those in the western half.
HIMALAYAS
The Himalayas consists of three parallel ranges in its longitudinal extent: I. Grea Greate terr Hi Himal malay ayas as or In Inne nerr Hi Himal malay ayas as or the Himadri II. Himachal or Lesser Hima mallayas III.Shiwaliks
GREATER HIMALAYAS
These are the northern most group of ranges.
Loftiest peaks with an average height of 6000 metres.
It consists all most all the Himalayan peaks.
The core of this part of Himalayas.
It is perennially snow bound and a number of glaciers g laciers descend from this range.
Some highest peaks of the Himalayas Peak
Country
Height (in metres)
Mt.Everest
Nepal
8848
Kanchenjunga
India
8598
Makalu
Nepal
8481
Dhaulagiri
Nepal
8172
Nanga Parbat
India
8126
Annapurna
Nepal
8078
Nanda Devi
India
7817
LESSER HIMALAYAS These are the group of ranges lying to the south of the
Greater Himalayas forms the most rugged mountain system. c ompressed ed and altered rocks. Composed of highly compress betwee n 3,700 and 4,500 metres and The altitude varies between the average width is of 50Km. ± the longest and the most important Pir Panjal range ± the range. arat range angess ± other ± other important Dhaula Dhar & Mahabharat ranges. Kashmir, the Kangra and the Kullu Famous valley of Kashmir, Valley in Himachal Himachal Pradesh Pradesh ± well known known for its hill stations.
SHI W ALIKS ALIKS These are the the outer most ranges of the Himalayas. Extend over a width of 10-50Km and have an
altitude between 900and 9 00and 1100 metres. Composed of unconsolidated sediments brought
down by rivers from the Himadri and covere cove red d with thick gravel grav el and alluvium. The longitudinal valley lying between lesser
Himalayas and the Shiwaliks are known as Duns. Kotli D Dun and Patli and Patli Dun are some of the well-
known Duns.
DIVISIONS BASED ON REGIONS These divisions have been demarcated demarcate d by river valleys. 1) The The part part of Hima Himalay layas as lying lying betwe between en Indus Indus and Satlu Satlujj ± Punjab Punjab Himalaya or Kashmir and Himachal Himalaya. 2) The The part part of the the Hima Himalay layas as lying lying betw between een Satlu Satlujj and Kali Kali rivers rivers ± Kumaon Kumaon Himal Himalayas ayas.. 3) The part of the the Hima Himalaya layass lying lying betwe between en Kali Kali and and Tista ista rivers rivers ± Nepal Himalayas. 4) The The part part of the the Him Himala alaya yass lying lying betw between een Tista ista and and Dihan Dihang g rivers ± Assam Assam Himalayas. Himalayas. 5) The The Hima Himalay layas as bend bend shar sharply ply to the the south south and spre spread ad alon along g the the eastern boundary of India, known as Purvanchal as Purvanchal or or Eastern Hills. 6) Purvanchals running through north-eastern states and composed of strong sandstones which are sedimentary rocks and covered with dense forests.
THE NORTHERN PLAINS The northern plains are formed from the Indus,
the Ganga, the Brahmaputra and their tributaries. This plain is formed of alluvial soil. These plains are at the foot of the Himalaya over
millions of years ago. An area of 7 lakh sq. km. and being about
2400Km long and 240 to 320Km broad, is densely populated.
THE
NORTHERN PLAINS
The rivers in their lower course split into
numerous channels due to the deposition of silt, known as d istributaries. istributaries. The Northern plain is divided into 3 section: Punjab plains, Ganga plains, Brahmaputra plains. The rivers, after descending from the mountains deposit deposit pebbles in a narrow belt of about 8 to 16 Km in width, lying parallel to the slopes of the Shiwaliks, known as bhabar . The newer, younger deposits of the flood plains are called k had ar. ar.
THE PENINSULAR PLATEAU
The Peninsular plateau is table land composed of the old crystalline igneous and the metamorphic metamo rphic rocks, from Gondwana land. This plateau consists of two broad divisions namely , t he Central Hig hland s and Deccan Plateau. The Central Highlands are wider in the west w est but narrower in the east.
The eastward extensions of this plateau are locally known as Bund el el k kh and and Bag hel k kh and .
The C hotanagpur plateau marks the further eastwards extension, drained by the Damodar river rive r.
THE
PENINSULAR PLATEA EAU U
The
Deccan plateau is a triangular landmass landmass that lies to the south of the river Narmada.
The
Satpura range flanks its broad base in the north while the Mahadev, the Kaimur hills and the Maikal range from its eastern extensions.
The
Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats mark the western and the eastern edges of the Deccan plateau respectively.
Western
coast.
Ghats lie parallel to the western
The Western Western Ghats are
higher than the Eastern Ghats. Their average height is 900-1600 metres. The Eastern Ghats stretch from the Mahanadi valley to the Nilgiris in the South. The Eastern Ghats are discontinuous discontinuous and irregular and dissected by rivers draining into the Bay of Bengal. Mahendragiri Mahendragiri is the highest peak in the Eastern Ghats The highest peak is the Anaimudi Anaimudi and the Doddabetta in the Western Western Ghats. Deccan plateau covers Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and parts of Maharashtra. The Chotanagpur plateau covers Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh and the parts of Orissa and Jharkhand.
THE INDIAN DESERT
It lies towards the western margins of the Aravali hills. It is an undulating sandy plain covered with sand dunes.
it receives very low rainfall below 150mm per year.
Luny is the only large river in this region.
Barchans(crescent Barchans(crescent shaped dunes) cover larger areas are as but longitudinal dunes become more prominent near the Indo-Pakistan boundary. It can be seen in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
THE
INDIAN DESERT
THE COASTAL PLAINS
The peninsular plateau is flanked by stretch stretc h of narrow coastal strips, running along the Arabian sea and the t he Bay of Bengal on the east. The northern part of the coast is called the Konkan, the central stretch is called the K annad annad Plain, while the southern stretch is referred to as the Malabar the Malabar coast. The plain along the Bay of Bengal are wide and level, referred as the N orthern Circar in Circar in the northern part, while the southern part is called as the C or om omandal C oast. Large rivers such as Mahanadi , the Godavari, the Krishna, and the Kaveri have farmed extensive delta delt a on this coast. Lake Chilka is an important feature along the eastern coast
THE
COASTAL PLAINS
THE ISLANDS
Lakshadweep Islands group lie close to Malabar coast of Kerala.
This group of islands is composed of small coral islands.
This island group has great diversity of flora and fauna.
The Pitli island, which is uninhabited, has a bird sanctuary. sanctuary.
Andaman &Nicobar Islands are elongated chain of islands located in the Bay of Bengal extending from north to south.
These are bigger in size and are more numerous and scattered.
There is great diversity of flora and fauna in this group of islands.
These islands lie close to equator and experience equatorial climate and has thick forest cover.
CONCLUSION
The northern mountains are the major source of water and forest wealth. The northern plains are the granaries of the country . The plateau is a storehouse of minerals, which has played a crucial role in the industrialisation of the country of the country. The coastal region and island groups provide sites for fishing fishing and port activities. Thus , the diverse physical features of the land have immense future possibilities of development.