Class - IX - Geography Study Notes

CHAPTER 2 - PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

Objectives and Goals:

1. The Physical features of India.

2. Theory of Plate Tectonic.
3. Three types of plate boundaries (i.e. Convergent Boundary, Divergent Boundary and Transform
Boundary).
4. The Continental Drift Theory.
5. Formation of India.
6. The major physiographic divisions of India (i.e. The Himalayan Mountains, The Northern Plains,
The Peninsular Plateau, The Indian Desert, The Coastal Plains, and The Islands).
7. The great Himalayas, three parallel ranges in its longitudinal extent (i.e. The Great or Inner
Himalayas or Himadri, The Lesser Himalaya or Himachal and The Shiwaliks).
8. Some of the highest peaks of Himalayas.
9. Division of Himalayan regions from west to east (i.e. Punjab Himalayas, Kumaon Himalayas,
Nepal Himalayas and Assam Himalayas).
10. Eastern hills and mountains (i.e. Patkai Hills, Naga Hills, Manipuri Hills and Mizo Hills).
11. The Northern Plains, three sections of Northern Plain (i.e. Punjab Plains, Ganga Plains and
Brahmaputra Plains).
12. Division of northern plain on the basis of relief features; divided into four regions (i.e. Bhabar,
Terai, Bhangar and Khadar).
13. The Peninsular Plateau, which is broadly divided into two regions (i.e. The Central Highlands and
The Deccan Plateau).
14. Western and Eastern Ghats.
15. Indian Desert.
16. Coastal Plain of India (i.e. The Eastern and Western Coastal Plains).
17. Islands of India (i.e. Lakshadweep Islands and Andaman and Nicobar Islands).

Introduction:

India is a vast country with varied landforms which has all major physical features of the earth i.e.
mountains, plains, deserts, plateaus and islands.
India is a large landmass formed during different geological periods which has influenced her relief.
Besides geological formations, a number of processes such as weathering, erosion and deposition
have created and modified the relief to its present form.
There are some theories behind the formation of physical features.
One such theory is the “Theory of Plate Tectonics”.

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Theory of Plate Tectonics:

 The continental blocks or the plates are floating on mantle.

 The Crust (upper part) of the earth has been formed out of seven major and some minor plates.
Following are the seven major plates: -

1. African Plate
2. Antarctic Plate
3. Eurasian Plate
4. Indo-Australian Plate
5. North American Plate
6. Pacific Plate
7. South American Plate

They move with the change or release of pressure and temperature inside the earth.

The movement of the plates results in the building up of stresses within the plates and the continental
rocks above, leading to folding, faulting and volcanic activity.

Folding: Caused by compression, when blocks of landforms comes closer to each other, they form
wrinkles or folds on the earth's surface. E.g. the young fold mountains "Himalayas".

Faulting: The structure of rocks cracks or breaks along the weaker areas due to tension, this is called
faulting. This may cause upliftment and subsidence of land and can form Block Mountains. E.g.
Vindhyas and Satpura hills.
When a part of land subsides between two faults, it forms Rift Valley. Narmada & Tapti Rivers flow
through the rift valley.

Volcanic Activities: Natural openings in the earth's crust through which molten materials, rocks,
ashes, gases, etc are thrown out are called 'Volcanoes'.

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The movements can be classified into three types broadly:

1. Convergent Boundary: In this case, the two adjacent tectonic plates move towards each other.
2. Divergent Boundary: In this case, the two adjacent plates move away from each other.
3. Transform Boundary: In this case, the two adjacent plates move along their borders.

The movements of the plates alongwith the processes such as weathering, erosion and deposition
have changed the position and size of the continents over millions of years and also responsible for
the evolution of the present landform features of India.

The oldest landmass i.e., Peninsula part of India was a part of the Gondwana land.
There was a time when India, Australia, South Africa, South America and Antarctica were one single
land mass known as Gondwana land.

It was the southern part of super continent Pangea.

Northern part was known as Angara land.

The below-detailed picture of Gondwana land will make you more clear:

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Continental Drift Theory:

 According to the theory of Continental Drift, the world was made up of a single continent
through most of geologic time.
 That continent eventually separated and drifted apart, forming into the seven continents we
have today.
 The first comprehensive theory of continental drift was suggested by the German
meteorologist Alfred Wegener in 1912.
 Million of year also there was a single continent named "Pangaea".
 Pangaea broke into pieces due to internal forces and is drifting away from each other since last
almost 225 million years.
 Two landmasses – "Laurasia in North" and "Gondwanaland in South".
 Both the landmasses were separated by a shallow sea called "Tethys Sea".
 Size of Tethys Sea kept on decreasing due to movement of landmasses towards each other,
thus, resulting in the formation of the young fold mountains "Himalayas".

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Formation of India

 The Indian Peninsula drifted towards the north and finally

collided with the much larger Eurasian Plate.
 As a result of this collision, the sedimentary rocks which were
accumulated in the geosynclines (known as Tethys) got folded
and formed the mountain systems of the West Asia and
Himalaya.
 Due to the uplift of the Himalayas in the Tethys Sea, the
northern part of the Indian Peninsula got subsided and formed a
large basin.
 That basin was filled with sediments from the rivers which
came from the mountains in the north and from the peninsula in
the south.
 Thus, the northern plains of India came into existence. These
plains are made up of alluvial deposits.
 The peninsular plateau is known as the old topography,
whereas the Himalayas and the Northern plains are considered
as new topography.
 The peninsular plateau is composed of igneous and
metamorphic rocks with gently rising hills and wide valleys.

INDIA
The major physiographic divisions of India: -
1. The Himalayan Mountains
2. The Northern Plains
3. The Peninsular Plateau
4. The Indian Desert
5. The Coastal Plains
6. The Islands

1. THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS

 The name "Himalaya" means "the abode or house of snow" in Sanskrit (i.e. hima "snow",
and ālaya "abode or house".
 The Himalaya mountain range is the highest on earth and is often referred to as the "roof of the
world".
 These mountain ranges run in a west-east direction from the Indus to the Brahmaputra.
 The Himalayas represent the loftiest and one of the most rugged mountain barriers in the world.
 The great Himalayas are also known as the young fold mountains.
 The Himalayas run along the northern border of India.
 The Himalayas form an arc which is about 2,400 km long.
 The width varies from 400 km in Kashmir to 150 km in Arunachal Pradesh.
 The altitudinal variations are greater in the eastern part than in the western part.

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 There are three parallel ranges in its longitudinal extent

 The Great or Inner Himalayas or Himadri,

 The Lesser Himalaya or Himachal and
 The Shiwaliks.

THE GREAT OR INNER HIMALAYAS OR HIMADRI:

 This is the northernmost range and is also known as 'Himadri'.

 This is the most continuous range.
 It contains the loftiest peaks.
 The average height of peaks in this range is 6,000 meters.
 All the prominent Himalayan peaks are in this range.
 The folds of the Great Himalayas are irregular in nature.
 The core of this part is composed of granite.
 Because of the lofty heights, the peaks of this range are perennially covered with snow.
 Famous glaciers like the Siachen Glacier, the Gangotri and Yamunotri, etc.

Some of the highest peaks of the Himalayas are: -

THE LESSER HIMALAYA OR HIMACHAL:

 This range lies towards the south of the Great Himalayas.

 The altitude of peaks in this range varies from 3,700 to 4,500 meter.
 Average width of this range is 50 km.
 This range is mainly composed of highly compressed and altered rocks.
 The most important mountain range here is the Pir Panjal mountain range and it is the longest
range.
 Dhaula Dhar and Mahabharat mountain ranges are also important ranges of lesser himalayas.
 All great valleys like Kashmir Valley, Kangra Valley, Kullu Valley are present here.
 This region is also known as for its hill stations (for e.g. Kullu,-Manali, Kufri, Shimla,
Mussoorie, Nanital, etc.).

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THE SHIWALIKS:

 The outermost range of the Himalayas is known as Shiwaliks, also known as Manak Parbat in
ancient times.
 The altitude varies between 900 and 1100 meters in this range.
 The width varies between 10 to 50 km.
 These ranges are composed of unconsolidated sediments brought down by the rivers.
 The longitudinal valleys lying between the Himachal and Shiwaliks are called 'Dun'.
 Unlike typical river valleys, duns have a structural origin and are covered with boulders and
gravel originating from the erosion of the Himalayas and the Shiwalik uplands.
 Major duns found in the region are Dehra, Kothri, Chaukham, Patli and Kota.
 The dun of Dehra is the biggest with a length of 35 km and width of 25 km.

HIMALAYAN REGIONS FROM WEST TO EAST:

 Himalayas have also been divided on the basis of regions

from west to east. The division has been done on the basis
of the rivers flowing in the himalayan regions. Following
is the division: -
 Punjab Himalayas: This part lies between the Indus and
Sutlej. They are also known as Kashmir Himalaya and
Himachal Himalaya.
 Kumaon Himalayas: This part lies between Sutlej and
Kali rivers.
 Nepal Himalayas: This part lies between the Kali and
Tista rivers.
 Assam Himalayas: This part lies between the Tista and
Dihang rivers.
 Some regional names of himalayas are: - Sagarmatha
Himal , Annapurna Himal , Ganesh Himal, Langtang
Himal, Manaslu Himal , Rolwaling Himal, Jugal Himal,
Gauri Sankar Himal, Kanjirowa Himal, Khumbu Himal, Dhaulagiri Himal, Purvachal, etc.

THE PURVACHAL OR EASTERN HILLS AND MOUNTAINS:

 The Brahmaputra marks the eastern border of the

Himalayas.
 Beyond the Dihang gorge, the Himalayas bend sharply
towards south and form the Eastern hills or Purvachal.
 These hills run through the north eastern states of India.
 They are mostly composed of sandstones (i.e.
Sedimentary rocks).
 These hills are covered with dense forest.
 These hills are composed of the Patkai Hills, Naga
Hills, Manipuri Hills and Mizo Hills.

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2.THE NORTHERN PLAIN OF INDIA:

 The northern plain of India is formed by three river systems, i.e. the Indus, the Ganga and the
Brahmaputra; along with their tributaries.
 This plain is composed of alluvial soil which has been deposited over millions of years.
 The total area of the northern plain is about 7 lakh square kilometer.
 Area of Northern plain: 7 lakh sq. km. It is about 2400 km long.
 Width is about 240 to 320 km .
 Northern plains are most densely populated areas of the country.
 Here we find alluvial soil, thus making the plain very fertile and agriculturally very productive.
 Because of the three river systems, i.e. the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra; along with
their tributaries, availability of water is there in abundance through the year.
 In the lower course, due to gentle slope, the velocity of the river decreases which results in the
formation of riverine islands (An Island formed by the river).
 The rivers in their lower course split into numerous channels or streams due to the deposition of
silt. These channels or streams are known as Distributaries.
 The northern plain is divided into three sections, i.e. the Punjab Plain, the Ganga Plain and
the Brahmaputra Plain.

Punjab Plains:

 The Punjab plains form the western part of the northern plain.
 This is formed by the Indus and its tributaries; like Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
 A major portion of this plain is in Pakistan.
 Doabs are found in Punjab plains.
 Doab (do, "two" + ab, "water" or "river"). It as "a region or land lying between and reaching to
the meeting of the two rivers.

Ganga Plains:

 This plain extends between Ghaggar and Tista rivers.

 The northern states, Haryana, Delhi, UP, Bihar, part of Jharkhand and West Bengal in the east
lie in the Ganga plains.

Brahmaputra Plains:

 This plain forms the eastern part of the northern plain and lies in Assam.

The Northern Plains are generally described as flat land with no variations in its relief. It is not
true. These vast plains also have diverse relief features.

According to the variations in relief features, the Northern plains can be divided into four
regions, viz. Bhabar, Terai, Bhangar and Khadar.

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1. Bhabar:

 After descending from the mountains, the rivers deposit pebbles in a narrow belt.
 The width of this belt is about 8 to 16 kms.
 It lies parallel to the Shiwaliks.
 Bhabar is the gently-sloping coarse alluvial zone below the Siwalik Hills (outermost foothills
of Himalayas) where streams disappear into permeable sediments. The underground water level
is deep in this region.

2. Terai:

 The terai region lies towards south of the bhabar belt.

 In this region, the streams reappear and make a wet, swampy and marshy region.
 This region was full of forest and wildlife but after partition all this area was cleared and was
converted into agricultural land for the settlement of the migrants.
 Locate Dudhwa National Park in this region.

3. Bhangar:

 Bhangar is the largest part of the northern plain and is composed of the oldest alluvial soil.
 They lie above the flood plains. They resemble terraces.
 The soil of this region is locally known as kankar and is composed of calcareous deposits.

4. Khadar:

 The floodplains formed by younger alluvium are called Khadar.

 The soil in this region is renewed every year and is highly fertile.
 This region is very suitable for intensive agricultural activities.

3.THE PENINSULAR PLATEAU

 The peninsular plateau is a tableland composed of the old crystalline, igneous and
metamorphic rocks.
 It is composed of the oldest rocks because it was formed from the drifted part of the
Gondwana land.
 Broad and shallow valleys and rounded hills are the characteristic features of this plateau.
 One of the important features of the peninsular plateau is the black soil area which is known as
the Deccan Trap.
 This black soil originated from the volcanic eruption. Thus, it has igneous rocks.
 The plateau can be broadly divided into two regions, i.e. the Central Highlands and the
Deccan Plateau.

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The Central Highlands:

 The Central Highlands lies to the north of the Narmada River.

 It covers the major portion of the Malwa plateau.
 Location:
 North of Narmada River.
 Vindhya ranges in the South.
 Aravalis in the North West.
 Covers Malwa plateau, Bundelkhand , Baghelkhand and Chhotanagpur plateau.
 The rivers in this region flow from southwest to northeast (i.e. Chambal, Sind, Betwa, Ken,
Son, etc.); which indicates the slope of this region.
 It is wider in the west and narrower in the east.
 Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand mark the eastward extension of this plateau.
 The plateau further extends eastwards into the Chotanagpur plateau, drained by the Damodar
River.
The Deccan Plateau:

 The Deccan Plateau lies to the south of the Naramada River.

 It is triangular in shape.
 The Deccan Plateau is higher in the west and slopes gently eastwards.
 Most of the rivers flow from west to east.
 Location:
 The Satpura range makes its northern part.
 The Mahadev, Kaimur Hills and Maikal range make its eastern part.
 It extends into the north east which encompasses Meghalaya, Karbi-Anglong Plateau and North
Cachar Hills.
 Three Prominent hill ranges from the west to east are the Garo, the Khasi and the Jaintia Hills.
 A distinct feature of the peninsular plateau is the black soil area known as Deccan Trap.
 The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats mark the western and the eastern edges of the
Deccan Plateau respectively.

Western Ghats & Eastern Ghats:

 Western Ghats stretch from the Tapi River to Kanayakumari. But The Eastern Ghats stretch
from Mahanadi Valley to the Nilgiris in the south.
 Western Ghat's average width is 50 to 80 km. But Eastern Ghat's width varying from 100 to 200 km.
 Western Ghats is source of many large rivers But no big river originates from the Eastern Ghats.
 Western Ghats are continuous and can be crossed through passes only. But Eastern Ghats has
been divided into several parts by large rivers.
 Western Ghats average elevation is 900 to 1,600 meters But the average elevation of Eastern
Ghats is about 600 meters above sea level.
 Highest Peak of Western Ghats: Anai Mudi (2695 meters).
 Highest Peak of Eastern Ghats: Mahendragiri (1501 meters).
 Western Ghats receives orographic type of rainfall. South-west monsoons coming from the
Arabian Sea and causes heavy rainfall. Eastern Ghats is almost parallel to the monsoons
coming from the Bay of Bengal and does not cause much rainfall.

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Western Ghats Eastern Ghats

Mark the western edge of the Deccan Plateau Mark the eastern edge of the Deccan Plateau

They are continuous and can be crossed through the They are discontinuous, irregular and dissected by
passes only. rivers draining into the Bay of Bengal.

Higher; average height is 900−1600 meters Lower than western ghats; average height is 600
meters

This range is a source of many large rivers such as No big river originates from this range.
Godavri, Krishna and Kaveri.

It experiences orographic rain mostly in summer due Receivers rainfall motly in winter season through
to the summer monsoons. the North-eastern monsoon.

The height of the Western Ghats progressively Mahendragiri (1501 mt.) is the highest peak in the
increases from north to south. Highest peaks include Eastern Ghats . Shevaroy Hills and the Javadi Hills
the Anai Mudi (2695 m) and the Doda Betta (2637 m) are located to the southeast of the Eastern Ghats.

4.THE INDIAN DESERT:

 The Indian desert is also known as the Thar Desert.

 The Indian desert lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills.
 This region gets very less rainfall which is less than 150 mm in a year.
 The climate is dry and vegetation is found is very less.
 Streams appear during the rainy season. Soon after they disappear into the sand as they do not
have enough water to reach the sea.
 Luni is the only large river but some streams appear during rainy season.
 Kindly note: The Luni is a river of western Rajasthan. It originates in the Pushkar valley of the
Aravalli Range, near Ajmer and ends in the marshy lands of Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.
 Crescent-shaped dunes (barchans) are found in this area.

5.THE COASTAL PLAINS OF INDIA:

 The Peninsular Plateau is flanked by stretch of narrow coastal strips, running along the
Arabian Sea on the west and the Bay of Bengal on the east.
 The western coast, sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, is a narrow
plain.
 The Western Coastal Plains is a thin strip of coastal plain with a width of 50 kms between the
Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats.

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 It is divided into three sections. The Konkan; (Mumbai – Goa) in the north. The Kannada
Plain makes the central part and the Malabar coast stretches in the south.
 The Eastern Coastal Plains is a strip of coastal plain with a width of 100 - 130 kms between the
Bay of Bengal and the Eastern Ghats.
 It is divided into two parts. The northern part is called Northern Circar. The southern part is
called the Coromandel Coast.
 Extensive deltas are formed by large rivers like Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri.
 Chilika lake is an important feature along the eastern coast. It is the largest salt water lake in
India. It lies in the state of Orissa, to the south of the Mahanadi delta.

6.THE ISLANDS OF INDIA:

India has two group of islands (i.e. Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea and Andaman
& Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal).

Lakshadweep Islands

 The Lakshadweep Islands covers an area of 32 sq kms off of the Coast of Kerala in the Arabian
Sea. It got its name in the year 1973.
 The administrative headquarters of Lakshadweep is at Kavaratti Island.
 This group of islands is composed of 36 small coral islands, only 10 are inhabited and only six
have been opened for tourism.
 This group of islands is rich in terms of biodiversity (flora & fauna).
 The Pitti island, which is uninhabited, has a bird sanctuary.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

 The Andaman & Nicobar Islands are located in the Bay of Bengal.
 The Andaman & Nicobar Islands covers an area of 8337 sq kms (Andaman Islands is about
6,496 sq kms and Nicobar Islands is approximately 1,841 sq kms)
 These islands are bigger in size, have more number of islands and scattered.
 This group of islands can be divided into two groups. The Andaman is in the north and the
Nicobar is in the south.
 The Andamans and Nicobars are separated by a channel (The Ten degree Channel) some 150
km wide.
 There are 572 islands in the Territory. Most of the Islands (about 550) are in the Andamans
group.
 There are submerged hill ranges, some of them are of volcanic origin.
 These islands are located close to equator and thus, experience equatorial type of climate and
also have thick forest cover.
 These islands too have rich biodiversity (flora & fauna).
 The Highest point is located in North Andaman Islands: - Saddle Peak at 732 m.
 India’s only active volcano is found on Barren Island in Andaman & Nicobar group of
Islands.

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