Q 1 – Where did the Tethys sea exist?
Ans. Tethys was present there where the Himalayas and northern plains are present today.
Q 2 – What are the main physical divisions of India?
Ans.
- Northern mountains,
- The Great Plains,
- Peninsular Plateau,
- Coastal Plains and
- Islands
Q 3 – What is the length and breadth of the Himalayas?
Ans. Length is 2,500 km, breadth is 150 km to 400 km.
Q 4 – Name the four largest glaciers of India.
Ans. Siachin, Hispar, Baii’o and Baltoro.
Q 5 – What do you mean by ‘duns’?
Ans. These are the flat-floored valleys between Sivalik and Himachal.
Q 6 – What type of sand dunes are present in the ‘Thar desert’?
Ans. Longitudinal, Barkhans, and Transverse type.
Q 7 – Name two passes of the Western Ghats.
Ans. Thai Ghat and Bhor Ghat.
Q 8 – Name two rift valleys found in India.
Ans. Narmada and Tapti.
Q 9 – Which plateau is found in the northeast of the peninsula?
Ans. Shillong plateau.
Q 10 – What is the height of three peaks of Himalaya, having a height of more than 8,000 m.?
Ans.
- Mount Everest 8,848 m.
- Kanchenjunga 8,598 m.
- Annapurna 8,078 m.
Q 11 – Name the highest peak of the Alps mountain.
Ans. Mont Blanc.
Q 12 – What is the name of the outer Himalaya?
Ans. Shivalik.
Q 13 – Name the highest plateau of India?
Ans. Ladakh
Q 14 – Name the largest physiographic division of India.
Ans. Peninsular plateau.
Q 15 – Name the important passes in the Himalayas.
Ans. Jelepa, Nathula, Chola, Zojila, Patkoi, Bomdila, Changla, Karakoram, etc.
Q 16 – Which rivers drain in the Punjab plains?
Ans. Satluj and Beas drain in Punjab.
Q 17 – What is ‘Marusthal’?
Ans. The land which is inhabited by the Gonds, Santhali, Oraons, and Bhils is known as Marshal.
Q 18 – Name two Saline lakes of Rajasthan.
Ans. Sambhar and Didwana are two saline lakes of Rajasthan.
Q 19 – Name the two major island groups in India
Ans. The Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
Q 20 – Where is Barren island located in India?
Ans. It is located on the Nicobar Islands.
Q 21 – Name the important peaks of Nicobar islands.
Ans. Saddle peak, Mount Diavolo, Mount Koyob, and Mount Thuiller.
Q 22 – Name the submerged coastal plain.
Ans. Dwarak is the submerged coastal plain.
Q 23 – Which part of the north-western plateau has a complex relief of ravines and gorges?
Ans. Chambal, Bhind, and Morena have complex relief of ravines and gorges.
Q 24 – In which period were the Aravallies uplifted?
Ans. Vindhyan period.
Q 25 – Name the eastern boundary of the Deccan plateau.
Ans. Rajmahal Hills.
Q 26 – The peninsular plateaus and the Himalayas mountains are quite different from each other in respect of stratigraphy, geological structure, and physiography.” Comment.
Ans. The northern mountains are young, weak, and flexible and have suffered from folding and deformation. The peninsula contains mostly residual mountains. Here, the river valley is shallow having low gradients. On the other hand, the Himalayas mountains are tectonic and rivers are torrential. The formation and development of the surface of the land like mountains, plateaus, and plains are called physiography.
Q 27 – What is Bhangar?
Ans. The south of Terai is a belt consisting of old and new alluvial deposits known as Bhangar. These areas stand above the level of floodwater and the flood plains. This land is made up of clay pebbles and gravel. In Gangetic plains, these alluvial lands have been formed by the deposition of sandbars by the river
Q 28 – What is Doab? Give few examples from India.
Ans. The plain formed between two rivers is known as Doab. It separates two rivers but maintains its uniform character over the whole area. In Punjab, Doabs maintain the physical characteristics of the Punjab plain
- Best Jalandhar Doab
- Bari Doab
- Chaz Doab
- Sind Sagar Doab
Q 29 – What is Karewas?. Where do they found?
Ans. In the valley of Kashmir, the lake deposits comprise thick deposits of glacial clay and other materials embedded with maintaining, These deposits occur in the valleys within the Himalayan mountain where there was once glacial action and deposition of Morain.
Q 30 – State two important characteristics of the topographic complexity of the Himalayas.
Ans. The young mountains of the Himalayas are formed by the internal horizontal earth movements. They have characteristic topographic. complexity.
- The Greater Himalayas, the Lesser Himalayas, and Shivalik are three main parallel ranges.
- These ranges have striking contrasts in their altitudes with snow-capped peaked, deep valleys, gorges, hanging valleys, ridges, etc.
Q 31 – Give three characteristics of the Himalayas, which indicate their youthful stage.
Ans. There are many pieces of evidence collected by various geologists and archeologists to prove the youthfulness of the Himalayas. The follow ing evidence is given here :
- The presence of Karewas.
- In the sub-Himalayan region, fossils of post-tertiary mammals have been found which points to the upliftment during the Pleistocene times.
- The archeologists have collected curious stone tools that represent the paleolithic times, an early man in the terraces of Himalayan rivers.
Q 32 – Give the main points of difference in Himalaya mountains with Indian plateau.
Ans.
| Himalayan Mountains | Indian Plateau |
| (i) These are young new fold mountains. | (i) Indian plateau is an ancient crystalline land |
| (ii) These mountains have been formed by the folding of earth. | (ii) It has been formed as a horst. |
| (iii) The relief features of the young age of the Himalayas. | (iii) Plateau is old and well dissected. |
| (iv) There are parallel mountain ranges formed. | (iv) Rift valleys are formed. |
Q 33 – What is the difference between Eastern Himalaya and Western Himalaya?
Ans.
| Eastern Himalaya | Western Himalaya |
| (i) Eastern Himalayas are extended from Sikkim to Assam between Tista and Brahmaputra river. | (i) Western Himalayas are extended between Indus and Kali. |
| (ii) Strong monsoon brings heavy rainfall. | (ii) Summers are warm and winter is vigorous cold. |
| (iii) Tropical wet evergreen forests grow. | (iii) Area is snow-covered. |
| (iv) Relief features are relatively lesser complex. | (iv) Alpine and temperate vegetation are found. |
Q 34 – Differentiate the Western Ghats and Vindhya Mountains.
Ans.
| Western Ghats | Vindhya Mountains |
| (i) These are the extension of the south of the Malwa plateau. | (i) They are flank the Deccan lava plateau on the west. |
| (ii) It is running to the Narmada river. | (ii) They have altitude ranges from 900 to 1100 meters. |
| (iii) These are composed of sandstones, limestones, and shales. | (iii) They are generally forested with a variety of vegetation. |
Q 35 – What are the characteristics of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands?
Ans. The main characteristics are :
Q 36 – In which part of India, faulting evidence are found?
Ans. The faulting has taken place on the Deccan plateau. The trough faulting is found in the valleys of Godavari, Mahanadi, Damodar, Tapi, and Narmada valleys are rift valleys. Faulting evidence is found on the Malabar coast and the Markan coast.
Q 37 – What is horst?
Ans. A horst is the uplift land between two parallel faults. The central mass of the land keeps standing while the adjoining areas are thrown down. It forms the shape of a block mountain or a horst. For example Vindhyan and Vosges.
Q 38 – Describe in short the major physical division of India.
Ans. India can be divided into the following physical divisions :
- The Great Mountains
- The Great Northern Plain
- The Great Peninsular
- The Great Indian Desert Plateau
1. The Great Mountains – These are formed by the continuous stretch of the mountain from Kashmir to Assam. It acts as a wall. They arc the Karakoram and the Himalayas. The Karakoram mountains lie between the Pamir plateau and the Indus River in the west. Baltoro is the famous glacier of the Karakoram range. They are very high mountains. The second Himalayas mountain chain stretch from the Indus river in the west to the Brahmaputra river in the east. Indus and Brahmaputra divide them into the main Himalayas, the western Himalayas, and the eastern Himalayas. The Garo hills, the Khasi hills, the Jaintia hills, and the Mikir hills form the Eastern Himalayas. They fall in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, Mizoram, Tripura, and Meghalaya.
2. The Great Northern Plain – The great plains are composed of sediments deposited by rivers. They are quite extensive. The central and eastern parts of the plains have been formed by the tributaries of the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers. Half of the Great plain lies in Uttar Pradesh and half in the state of Bihar
3. The Great Peninsular Plateau – The peninsular plateau forms the largest physiographic division facing towards the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. It stretches from the Satpura range (north) to Kanyakumari (south) and from the Sahyadri (Western Ghats) to Rajmahal hills in the east. It is triangular in shape having four physiographic divisions: the Western Ghats, the Deccan Plateau, the Eastern Ghats, and Eastern Plateau.
4. The Greatest Indian Desert – It lies to the west of the Aravali ranges in Rajasthan. This is the region of moving sand and low rainfall, known as Marusthali. It was drained by the Saraswati, Drisadvati, and Satluj rivers. But today Llini is the only river. There are numerous salt lakes of which Sambhar is the largest.
5. Coastal Plains: The peninsular plateaus are bordered on the east and the west by the coastal plains. There are two well-known peninsulas, Kathiawar and Kachchh, on the west coast and an extensive plain of Gujarat. The east coast has a number of deltas. The west coast has no delta.
6. Island Groups – Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal have a number of islands. They are called Lakshadweep, Andaman, and Nicobar islands. Andaman and Nicobar islands are the elevated portions of submarine mountains while the Lakshadweep Islands are built of coral deposits.
Q 39 – Write a short note on the saline lakes of Rajasthan.
Ans. Rajasthan lies in the desert area to the west of the Aravali hills. This region has very low rainfall. The groundwater in this region is impregnated with salt, therefore various saline lakes are found. Out of these, there are two well-known saline lakes on the eastern edge of the Thar Desert. They are known as Sambhar end the Didwana. Both of these are the sources of common salts. The Sambhar is an example of a boson. Bolson is an extensive flat depression surrounded by hills in which the drainage is centripetal. The smaller lakes with flat floors are undrained basins in which water collects after rains and evaporates quickly are called Playas. The Didwana lake is a playa.
There are four theories about the origin of these salt lakes :
- The salt comes from the underlying beds.
- The lakes are the relics of the receding sea.
- The salt is transported from Kachchh by the wind.
- The salt is obtained from the surrounding rocks
Q 40 – Describe in short, how the Himalayas were formed?
Ans. The Himalayas have been formed due to folding by different mountain building movements. The major areas of the Himalayas have been formed by folding while minor has been formed as a result of weathering and other agents of changes. It had been uplifted from the Great Geosyncline known as Tethys sea in the folded form. These uplifted ranges had been denuded by the weathering and the other agents such as rivers and glaciers. These agents of changes carved the physical features i.e. gorges, U-shaped valleys, hanging valleys, and ridges. The Indus gorge is formed as a result of erosion and weathering.
There are many U-shaped and hanging valleys which are the result of the erosional work of glaciers and ice. The complexity of the Himalayas is achieved by the various process of weathering and the cycle of erosion. The fertile valley of Kashmir represents the depositional work of the agents of change. Ganga, Indus, and their tributaries rise from the Himalayas. They are busy carving the minor physical features. The Himalayas peaks are snow-covered. They represent the work done by earth movements.
Q 41 – What is ‘KARE WAS’? Where are they found? Describe in short
Ans. Kare was are the thick deposits of glacial clay and other materials embedded with moraine. The Kashmir Himalayas are famous for Karewas formations which are useful for the cultivation of Zafran, which is a local variety of saffron. Kashmir or the north-western Himalayas comprise a series of ranges such as the Karakoram, the Ladakh, the Zaskar, and the Pir-Punjab. The north-eastern part of the Kashmir Himalayas is a cold desert that lies between the Greater Himalayas and the Karakoram ranges. Between the Great Himalayas and the Pir- Punjab lies the famous valley of Kashmir and Dal Lake, important glaciers Baltoro and Siachin are also found here. Kare was formed in the valleys within the Himalayan mountain where there was once glacial action and deposition of Morain.
Q 42 – Describe the two island groups of India.
Ans. There are two major island groups in India. One in the Bay of Bengal and the other in the Arabian Sea. The Bay of Bengal groups of islands consists of 572 islands approximately. These are situated between 6°N to 14°N and 92°E to 94°E. Richie’s archipelago and Labyrinth are the two principal groups of islands.
Q 43 – If a person is to travel to Lakshadweep, from which coastal plain does he prefer and why?
Ans. Lakshadweep islands are situated in Arabian Sea. These islands are located at a distance of 280 km-480 km off the Kerala coast. Its distance is lowest from Malabar Coast. Therefore, it will take us least time to reach at Lakshadweep islands from Malabar Coast.
Q 44 – Where in India will you find a cold desert? Name some important ranges of this region.
Ans. The north-eastern part of the Kashmir Himalayas is a cold desert, which lies between the Greater Himalayas and the Karakoram ranges. Main ranges of this region are Laddakh, Karakoram, Jasker and Pir Panjal.
Q 45 – Why is the western coastal plain is devoid of any delta?
Ans. The slope of rivers of western coast is very steep. Therefore, these rivers flow not in different parts but in one part. And hence they do not form any delta. As a result, we do not find any delta in the western coast.
Q 46 – Make a comparison of the island groups of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
Ans. Lakshadweep islands are in Arabian Sea and Andaman and Nicobar islands are in Bay of Bengal.
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Q 47 – What are the important geomorphological features found in the river valley plains?
Ans. Alluvial fans are formed when streams flowing from higher levels break into foot slope plains of low gradient. Normally very coarse load is carried by streams flowing over mountain slopes. This load becomes too heavy for the streams to be carried over gentler gradients and gets dumped and spread as a broad low to high cone shaped deposit called alluvial fan. Usually, the streams which flow over fans are not confined to their original channels for long and shift their position across the fan forming many channels called distributaries. Alluvial fans in humid areas show normally low cones with gentle slope form as a low cone.
Delta is like alluvial fans but develop at a different location. The load carried by the rivers is dumped and spread into the sea. If this load is not carried away far into the sea or distributed along the coast, it spreads and accumulates. Such areas over flood plains built up by abandoned or cut¬off channels contain coarse deposits. The flood deposits of spilled waters carry relatively finer materials like silt and clay. The flood plains in a delta are called delta plains
Floodplain is a major landform of river deposition. Large sized materials are deposited first when stream channel breaks into a gentle slope. Thus, normally, fine sized materials like sand, silt and clay are carried by relatively slow moving waters in gentler channels usually found in the plains and deposited over the bed and when the waters spill over the banks during flooding above the bed. These river valley plains have a fertile alluvial soil cover which supports a variety of crops like wheat, rice, sugarcane and jute, and hence, supports a large population.
Q 48 – If you move from Badrinath to Sunderbans delta along the coarse of the river Ganga, what major geomorphological features will you come across?
Ans. If we move from Badrinath to Sunderbans delta along the course of the river Ganga, following major geomorphological features will we come across:
1. V Shaped Valleys: Valleys start as small and narrow rills; the rills will gradually develop into long and wide gullies; the gullies will further deepen, widen and lengthen to give rise to valleys. Depending upon dimensions and shape, many types of valleys like V-shaped valley, gorge, canyon, etc. can be recognised.
2. Gorge: A gorge is a deep valley with very steep to straight sides.
3. Canyon: A canyon is characterised by steep step-like side slopes and may be as deep as a gorge. A gorge is almost equal in width at its top as well as at its bottom. In contrast, a canyon is wider at its top than at its bottom. In fact, a canyon is a variant of gorge.
4. Waterfall: When the rivers start falling in pits in mountainous regions, it makes waterfall.
5. Plunge pools: Once a small and shallow depression forms, pebbles and boulders get collected in those depressions and get rotated by flowing water and consequently the depressions grow in dimensions. A series of such depressions eventually join and the stream valley gets deepened. At the foot of waterfalls also, large potholes, quite deep and wide, form because of the sheer impact of water and rotation of boulders. Such large and deep holes at the base of waterfalls are called plunge pools.
Q 49 – What are North-western Himalayas?
Ans. It comprise a series of ranges such as the Karakoram, Ladakh, Zaskar and Pir Panjal. The north-eastern part of the Kashmir Himalayas is a cold desert, which lies between the Greater Himalayas and the Karakoram ranges.