ARYA VIDYA MANDIR GROUP OF SCHOOLS

Geography std 6
Chapter 2- Landforms

About one-fourth (29%) of the Earth's surface island. This land is a collection of different
physicalfeatures called landforms. Landforms are formedas a result of differentnatural
processes,such as erosion, wind,rain, chemical actions and various weather conditions. The major
types of landforms are mountains, valleys, plateaus and plains.

FORMATION OF LANDFORMS

Natural forces generated on and under the Earth's surface result in two types of
processes

Endogenous Exogenous

Endogenous process
Endogenous processes are the large-scaleprocesses that transform landforms.Theseprocesses
involve forces that originate withinthe Earth's crust, namely, forces of compressionand tension.
These forces result in themovement of crustal plates.
Exogenous process
Exogenous processes involve forces on or above the Earth's surface like rivers, ice,wind and
atmospheric changes. These forces are responsible for breaking of rocks and erosion of the
surface resultingin the modification of major land features likemountains, valleys, plateaus, etc.
They lead to the formation of soil, causes landslides, lowers the altitude of highlands and bring
about many othervariations in the terrain features.

RIVERS, TRIBUTARIES, DISTRIBUTARIES, MEANDERS AND

DELTAS
River: A channel of running water fromhigher/hilly areas to the plains, finallyjoining a sea or a
lake.

Tributary: When a number of smaller rivers join the main river we call those as tributaries. It may
originate from glaciers, lakes or springs. It doesn’t change it’s course but it adds water to the main
river. For example, River Yamuna is a tributary of River Ganga.

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 Distributary: When the main river breaks up into smaller
streams, we get distributaries. It is formed from the main river. It
diverts from the main river in the delta region. It takes away
water from the main river. They are numerous and do not have
any names.

Meander: A curve or bend in thecourse of a river.

Delta: A river delta is a landform that forms from deposition of

sediment that is carried by a river as the flow leaves its mouth
and enters slower-moving or stagnant water. This occurs where
a river enters an ocean or a sea.

MAJOR LANDFORMS
Mountains
Mountains are massive areas of the earth'scrust that rise to great heights above
theirsurroundings. They may have steep or gentleslopes and occur in long narrow chains
calledranges.

Three main types of mountains

Fold Mountains Block Mountains Volcanic Mountains

Types of Mountains
Mountains are formed when two large plates, known as tectonic plates, collide under the earth's
surface. This collision leads to the plates being pushed upwards to form peaks. Fold Mountains
Fold mountains are formed when the layersof the earth's crust are folded by compression. The
compression is caused by forces generated by movements inside the earth. The diagram below
illustrates, in a simplified way, how fold mountains are formed.

Layer of Earth’s crust

Compression of the crust leads to the
formation of Fold Mountains
 Fold Mountains are of two types:

1) Old Fold Mountains: These are Fold Mountains which were formed over 250 million years
ago,such as the Urals in Russia, the Appalachians in North America and the Aravallis in

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 India. Old Fold Mountains have gentle slopes and a low altitude due to weathering over
time.
2) Young fold mountains: These are fold mountains which were formed comparatively
recently, about 25 million years ago. They comprise the world's highest mountain ranges.
Young fold mountains are rugged and lofty. The Rockies of North America, the Andes of
South America and the Himalayas of Asia are examples of young fold mountains.
Differences between Old and Young fold mountains
Old Fold Mountains Young Fold Mountains
They were formed more than 250 million They were formed 25 million years ago.
yearsago.
They have gentle slopes. They have steep slopes and rugged
features.
They have low altitudes. They have high altitude with high
mountains.
They have rounded and flat tops. They have pointed, sharp peaks.

They have weathered down due to erosion They are newly formed and do not show
over time. signs of erosion.
The Urals and the Aravalli range are old The Himalayas, the Alps, The Andes are
foldmountains. theyoung fold mountains.

A. Block mountains and Rift Valleys

Block Mountains are formed due to faulting. Faulting is the rupturing or fracturing of rock strata
due to strain. When such cracks or faults occur in the earth's crust, the land between the cracks
sinks, leaving upstanding blocks on either side of the fault.
These blocks are called Block Mountains. The edges of such mountains are steep and the
surfaces are almost level. The Black Forest of Europe and the Vindhyas in India are examples of
Block Mountains.
The below diagrams represent the formation of Block Mountains.

A valley is a low lying area bounded by hills or mountains that slopes down to streams, rivers and
oceans. Rift valleys are bounded by steep-sidedslopes of Block Mountains and have a flat floor.
Volcanic Mountains:
Volcanic mountainsare made up of molten materials known as magma, along with ash and small
rock particles called cinders. These materials erupt from the Earth's interior through an opening

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known as vent. On reaching the surface, the magma cools and solidifies. With several successive
eruptions the lava pilesup gradually, thereby building up a conical volcanic mountain.
There are three types of volcanoes.
1) Some volcanic mountains such as Mt Etnain Sicily are active volcanoes. They erupt
frequently.
2) Other volcanoes such as the two cones of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa, have not
erupted for several centuries and are now considered extinct volcanoes.
3) Dormant volcanoes have been known to erupt in historical times and show signs of
possible eruption in the future.
Importance of Mountains
1) Glaciers in the mountains provide water supply to perennial rivers.
2) Mountains provide minerals for industries and stones for construction.
3) The gentle slopes of the mountains are used for terrace farming.
4) The dense forests in the mountains are home to various flora and fauna.
5) Mountains provide timber for furniture and firewood. They also provide medicinal herbs.
6) Mountains are attractive tourist destinations.

Plateau
A plateau is an elevated land, with a more or less flat surface at the top. Hence, it is also called
‘tablelands’ .Some of the famous plateaus are the Deccan Plateau of India, the Plateau of Tibet.
Importance of Plateaus
1) They are the storehouse of rich mineral deposits. Minerals, such as iron, copper, gold, and
diamond are available in such areas in good quantities.
2) Plateaus are useful for animal rearing and agriculture.
3) Plateaus also serve as important tourist destinations. Table Mountain, plateau of South
Africa, is one of the most sought-after tourist destinations.

Plains
Extensive flat, low-lying land areas are called plains. Plains that are formed by the deposition of
alluvium by rivers are called alluvial plains. These plains are intensively cultivated as they have
fertile soil and abundant water supply.
Importance of Plains
1) The flat and level land of the plains is ideal for building settlements, industries, and
transport and communication networks. Hence, they are densely populated.
2) River valleys have been a cradle of civilizations since time immemorial, notable among
them being those along the Indus, Nile, Tigris and Euphrates. The fertile soil, flat land,
abundance of water and favourable climate of the plains contribute towards the
development of villages, towns and cities.
3) Coastal plains are known for agriculture, fishing and trade.

LANDFORMS AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE LIFE OF PEOPLE

Landforms have tremendous impact on the way of life of people of a region. Let us see how the
way of life in the mountains is different from that in the plains in the given table.

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 Life in theMountain Life in the Plains

Population Mountains are rocky and steep; Plains are flat, which makes it easy to
density hence, fewer people choose to live in build houses and roads. Thus, plains are
its difficult terrain. usually densely populated.

Shelter and Most of the houses are made of wood Most of the houses are made of clay and
clothing and have slanting roofs. Since bricks. Woollens are usually worn only
mountains and hills are cooler people during winter in the plains. Light, cotton
wear woolen clothing during many clothing is preferred for the rest of the
months in a year. year. Areas that receive heavy
rainfall have houses with slanting roofs,
while areas that receive moderate to less
rainfall have flat roofs.

Cultivation Cultivation is difficult on rugged Plains are fertile and easy to cultivate.
slopes. Some crops such as tea and Hence, many types of crops are grown
coffee may be grown on gentle here.
slopes. Cereals and vegetables can
be grown through terraced cultivation

Transport Transport network is not well It is easy to establish a dense network of

developed in the mountains due to the roads and railways on flat, level land.
steep and rugged terrain. Fast flowing The rivers here are navigable too.
rivers with numerous waterfalls do not
encourage water transport. Roadways
are the most common means of
transport.

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Industries It is difficult to establish large factories Large-scale industrialization is possible
on uneven terrain. Procurement of as the land surface is even and transport
raw materials and distribution of network is well developed
finished products are also difficult.

Occupation The main occupation of people living in Agriculture, handicraft production and
the mountains is farming. Terrace or tourism are common occupations.
step farming is done on slopes of hills to
grow rice, maize, and tea depending on
the height of the region they are living.

New words:
 Fault- a fracture or discontinuity in a mass of rock
 Erosion- It is the process by which the surface of something is gradually
destroyed through the action of wind, rain etc.
 Intermontane plateau- a plateau surrounded by mountains on all sides.
 Alluvium- mixture of sand, silt and clay that is left by rivers to form fertile
soil.
 Volcano- an opening in the Earth’s crust.
 Magma- molten rock found inside the Earth.
 Lava- Magma that flows onto the surface of the Earth.