Write any three advantages of Physical features of India
Answers
Geologists believe that the lateral force came from the northern Angaraland, and the sedimentary strata resting on the Tethys floor were tightly squeezed against the southern rigid mass of peninsular India, commonly known as Gondwanaland.
As a result, the Himalayas originated as folded mountains. The Himalayas follow a general west to east direction exactly in conformity with the alignment of the Tethys Sea. The other mountains like Aravalli, Rajmahal, and Meghalaya originated from the Gondwanaland, and are situated approximately in the north-south direction.
Geological studies reveal that the Himalayas came into the present stage as results of the development during three geological phases or epoch. During the first phase, the middle Himalayan range was raised during the Oligocene Epoch or era. This range is formed of the old crystalline and old sedimentary rocks. The squeezing of the Himalayas for the second epoch took place during Miocene era.
During this period the sediments of the Potwar Basin (now in Pakistan) were raised. The squeezing of the Himalayas for the third time took place during the latter part of the Pliocene era. The Siwaliks were formed during this time.
...ʰᵒᵖᵉ ⁱᵗˢ ʰᵉˡᵖˢ..
Main Physical Features of India
The physical features of India can be divided into six broad categories according to their physiographic forms:
Himalayan Mountains
The northernmost landscape of the country highlights the fold mountains of the Himalayas. Though geologically young, the Himalayan Mountains are the loftiest and the most rugged of the world. Since they stretch across 2500 KM from Kashmir in the north, through Arunachal Pradesh in the North East, these mountains form an arc. This helps keep the cold arctic winds from reaching the tropical landmass.
One of the most significant of all the physical features of India, the Himalayas vary in width between 400 Km to 150 KM. Furthermore, the entire mountain belt is divided into three main sections-
The Greater Himalayas or the Himadri, with average peaks reaching up to 6000 meters above the sea-level.
The Lesser Himalayas with average peaks rising as high as 4000 meters
The Outer Himalayas or the Shiwalik Range
The Eastern Hills or the Purvanchal covering North Bengal, and northernmost parts of the North Eastern states.
See more interesting facts about Himalayas here.
Northern Plains
The three major river systems of India- Indus, Ganga and the Brahmaputra along with their tributaries have fed the foothills of the Himalayas. Since these river basins had a huge amount of alluvial deposits from these glacial rivers, these regions grew fertile over hundreds of years and led to the Northern Plains. Furthermore, the Northern Plains can again be divided into three significant parts-
The Punjab Plains- The Indus River and its tributaries lead to the formation of these vast plains, a major part of which now lies in Pakistan
The Ganga Plains- This spreads across the states of North India, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Delhi and West Bengal.
The Brahmaputra Plains- This covers major parts of Assam and the other North Eastern States
Peninsular Plateau
The oldest landmass of India, the Peninsular Plateau was the result of the tectonic shifts of the Gondwana Land. This massive plateau area is further divided as-
The Central Highlands – lying on the north of the Narmada River and covering a large part of the Malwa Plateau.
The Deccan Plateau- a triangular landmass lying on the south of the Narmada River. The Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats border the Deccan plateau on its eastern and western sides respectively. While the Satpura mountain ranges stand on its northern part, the Western Ghats have higher elevation with a maximum height of 1600 meters. On the other hand, the Eastern Ghats reach to a maximum of 600 meters in height.