8/20/2020 Class IX: Chapter 2 - Physical Features of India

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Class IX: Chapter 2 -

Physical Features of
India
Objectives and Goals:

1. The Physical features of India. Author : Subhash Kumar Nirman

2. Theory of Plate Tectonic. MA, B.Ed., MBA (HR), GNIIT
3. Three types of plate boundaries (i.e.
Convergent Boundary, Divergent Boundary Ex. Georgian (Military School Bangalore)
and Transform Boundary). King George Royal Indian Military College Bangalore

4. The Continental Drift Theory. Email Id : [email protected]

5. Formation of India.
6. The major physiographic divisions of India
(i.e. The Himalayan Mountains, The Northern CATEGORIES
Plains, The Peninsular Plateau, The Indian
Geography
Desert, The Coastal Plains, and The Islands).
General
7. The great Himalayas, three parallel ranges in
its longitudinal extent (i.e. The Great or Inner Class VII
Himalayas or Himadri, The Lesser Himalaya Class VIII
or Himachal and The Shiwaliks). Class IX
8. Some of the highest peaks of Himalayas. Cards
9. Division of Himalayan regions from west to Class X
east (i.e. Punjab Himalayas, Kumaon
Himalayas, Nepal Himalayas and Assam
QUICK DOWNLOADS
Himalayas).
10. Eastern hills and mountains (i.e. Patkai Click here to download
Hills, Naga Hills, Manipuri Hills and Mizo Geography eBook of Class IX.
Hills).
11. The Northern Plains, three sections of Click here to download
Northern Plain (i.e. Punjab Plains, Ganga Geography eBook of Class X.
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
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8/20/2020 Class IX: Chapter 2 - Physical Features of India

Western Coastal Plains).

17. Islands of India (i.e. Lakshadweep Islands
and Andaman and Nicobar Islands).

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.

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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Theory of Plate Tectonics:

Plate movements are of three types:

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.

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 250 million years.

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8/20/2020 Class IX: Chapter 2 - Physical Features of India

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".

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

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8/20/2020 Class IX: Chapter 2 - Physical Features of India

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.

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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.
There are three parallel ranges in its
longitudinal extent (i.e. 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:

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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.).

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
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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.

EASTERN HILLS AND MOUNTAINS:

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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.

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.
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.
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.
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A major portion of this plains 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.
Based on the relief features; the northern
plain can be divided into four regions, viz.
Bhabar, Terai, Bhangar and Khadar.

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.
Bhabhar 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:
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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.
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

which contains 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.
The plateau can be broadly divided into
two regions, i.e. the Central Highlands
and the Deccan 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 Central Highlands:

The Central Highlands lies to the north

of the Narmada river.
It covers the major portion of the Malwa
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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 Chhotanagpur plateau.

The Deccan Plateau:

The Deccan Plateau lies to the south of

the Naramada river.
It is triangular in shape.
The slope of the Deccan Plateau is from
west to east.
Most of the rivers flow from west to
east.
Location:

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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.
Garo, Khasi and Jaintia hills are the
prominent ranges; starting from west to
east.

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
metres 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 rainfallal. 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.

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.
Luni is the only large river but some
streams appear during rainy season.
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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 Ran of Kutch in Gujarat.
Crescent-shaped dunes (barchans) are
found in this area.

5.THE COASTAL PLAINS OF INDIA:

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.
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.

6.THE ISLANDS OF INDIA:

India has two group of islands (i.e.

Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea and
Andaman & Nicobar Islands in the Bay of

Bengal).

The Lakshadweep Islands covers an area

of 32 sq kms. It got its name in the year
1973.

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The administrative headquarters of

Lakshadweep is at Kavaratti Island.
This group of islands is composed of
small coral islands.
This group of islands is rich in terms of
biodiversity (flora & fauna).
The Andaman & Nicobar Islands are
located in the Bay of Bengal.
These islands are bigger in size and has
more number of islands.
This group of islands can be divided into
two groups. The Andaman is in the north
and the Nicobar is in the south.
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).

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Comments

Aastik Agarwal 02 July, 2014

Thank you sir

janvi pujara 21 July, 2014

Very nice.. thankyou u very
much......

sartaj khan 22 July, 2014

Excellent job

Tejaswini Gangwal 20
September, 2014
Really !!!! Amazing job !!!!!!......

Excellent work for

preparation 22 September,
2014
Excellent work for preparation

yatish 07 July, 2015

nice work

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