HS Geography - Mountains and Hills

 

Shiksha Mein Sahayog - Hamara Sankalp

HS Geography – 8 - Mountains and Hills

A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. A mountain differs from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is larger than a hill, typically rising at least 300 metres (1000 feet) above the surrounding land.

Mountains are formed through tectonic forces, erosion, or volcanism, which act on time scales of up to tens of millions of years. Once Mountain building ceases, mountains are slowly levelled through the action of weathering, through slumping and other forms of mass wasting, as well as through erosion by wind, rivers, and glaciers.

Types of Mountains.

There are five main types of mountains: (i) Fold Mountain (ii) Volcanic Mountain (iii) Fault-block Mountain (iv) Dome Mountain and (v) Residual Mountain.

 (1) Fold Mountains: Fold mountains are formed by the effects of folding on layers within the upper part of the Earth's crust. Before the development of the theory of plate tectonics and before the internal architecture of thrust belts became well understood, the term was used to describe most mountain belts,

 e.g., Some of Fold Mountains are the Himalayas of Asia, Andes of S. America, and Alps of Europe.

 (2) Volcanic Mountains: Volcanoes are formed when a plate is pushed below another plate, or at a mid-ocean ridge or hotspot. At a depth of around 100 km, melting occurs in rock above the slab (due to the addition of water), and forms magma that reaches the surface. When the magma reaches the surface, it often builds a volcanic mountain, such as a shield volcano or a stratovolcano. 

Examples of a stratovolcano is Vesuvius in Italy and Mount Fuji in Japan, while a shield volcano is Mauna Loa on Hawaii.

  (3) Fault-Block Mountains: Block mountains are caused by faults in the crust: a plane where rocks have moved past each other. When rocks on one side of a fault rise relative to the other, it can form a mountain.The uplifted blocks are block mountains or horsts. The intervening dropped blocks are termed graben: these can be small or form extensive rift valley systems. This form of landscape can be seen in East Africa.

An example of this is the Sierra Nevada Range in the United States and the Vosges are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany.

(4). Dome mountains: When magma pushes the crust up but hardens before erupting onto the surface, it forms so-called dome mountains. Wind and rain pummel the domes, sculpting peaks, and valleys.

Examples include the Black Hills of South Dakota and the Adirondack Mountains of New York.

 (5) Residual mountains: Through an erosion of an elevated area residual mountains are formed. Alternatively, such formations are also known as mountains of denudation.

The Scottish Highlands, Scandinavian Mountains, and the landmass of the Balkan Peninsula, Aravali Hills of India are examples of Residual Mountains,

 Types of Mountains in India

Fold Mountains             -              The mountains of Himalayas are an example of fold mountains

Residual Mountains -                   Hills like the Nilgiris, the Parasnath, the Girnar and Rajmahal in India

Block mountains -                         The mountains of Satpura and Vindhya found in the central-western part of India

Volcanic Mountains -                   The only known instance of a Volcanic Mountain is located on Barren Island in the Andaman Sea

Dome Mountains –                      Kedar Dome peak is a dome shaped mountain in the Garhwal range of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand.

Mountains and Hills of India

v  Highest mountain in India - Kanchenjunga – Sikkim, 8586 m

v  Highest mountain in India (incl POK) - Mt K2 also known as Godwin Austin- POK, 8611 m

v  Oldest mountain range in India - Aravallis

v  The highest peak in the Western Ghats and also South India - Anamudi – Kerala, 2585 m

v  The highest peak in the Aravallis - Guru Shikhar - near Mt. Abu in Rajasthan - 1722 m

v  Raisina Hill, the area in New Delhi where Rashtrapati Bhavan is located is a part of - Aravalli Hills

v  The hill ranges which geographically divide northern India from the Deccan Plateau - Vindhyas

v  The Western Ghats are also known as - Sahyadri hills

v  The name of the hill on which the famous Vaishno Devi temple is located - Trikuta

v  Mt Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva of Hindu mythology is located in – Tibet

Highest Mountain Peaks of the World

Feature                                                                                                 Name

Highest mountain                                                                                Mt Everest* (Nepal) 8,848.86 m (29,031.7 ft)

Highest mountain in Africa                                                                Mt Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) 5895m

Highest mountain in Australia                                                           Mt Kosciuszko 2234 m

Highest mountain in Europe                                                             Mt Elbrus (Russia) 5642 m

Highest mountain in North America                                                Mt Denali** (Alaska, USA) 6187m

Highest mountain in South America                                                Mt Aconcagua (Argentina) 7021m

Highest mountain in Antarctica                                                        Mt Vinson Massif - 4,892 m

Highest mountain in Oceania (Australia and New Guinea)         Puncak Jaya (Mount Carstensz) 4884m

 

Ø *Mt. Everest named after Sir George Everest, Surveyor General of India is known as Chomolungma in Tibet and Sagarmatha in Nepal.

Ø **Mt Denali was earlier known as Mt McKinley and was renamed in 2015.

Ø Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano in Hawaii is over 9,330 m tall from its base to peak (taller than Mt. Everest) but most of it lies under the ocean and is only 4,207 m above sea level.

Ø The highest known mountain on any planet in the Solar System is Olympus Mons on Mars at 21,171 m.

Ø Mons Huygens is the Moon's tallest mountain (but not its highest point, which is Selenean Summit). It is about 5,500 m (18,000 ft) high and is located in the Montes Apenninus.

Ø Selenean summit refers to the "highest" point on the Moon, notionally similar to Mount Everest on the Earth.  At some 10,786 m (35,387 ft) above the lunar mean, it is nearly twenty percent 'taller' than Earth's relative     highest point, Everest.

Eight Thousanders - Mountains above 8000m in height

Name                                                    Location                               Height          First Scaled

Mt Everest                                            Nepal                                      8,848 m                  1953

Mt K2 or Godwin Austin                     Karkoram, POK                     8,611 m                  1954

Kanchenjunga                                       Sikkim, India                          8,586 m                  1955

Lhotse                                                    Nepal/China                          8,516 m                  1956

Makalu                                                   Nepal/China                          8,485 m                  1955

Cho Oyu                                                 Nepal/China                          8,201 m                  1954

Dhaulagiri                                              Nepal                                      8,167 m                  1960

Manaslu                                                 Nepal                                      8,163 m                  1956

Nanga Parbat                                        Karkoram, POK                     8,126 m                  1953

Annapurna                                            Nepal                                      8,091 m                  1950

Note: There are 14 eight-thousanders in the world and all of them are located in the Himalayan and Karkoram ranges of Asia.

 

Mountain Ranges of the World

Feature                                                 Name                                                    Length                Highest Point

Mountain range in Europe                 The Alps                                                 1,200 km                Mont Blanc, 4,811 m

Mountain range in North America   The Rockies                                           4,800 km                Mount Elbert, 4,401 m

Mountain range in South America   The Andies                                            7,000 km                Mt Aconcagua, 7,021 m

Mountain range in Africa                   Drakensburg                                         1,000 km                Thabana Ntlenyana, 3,482 m

Mountain range in Australia              The Great Dividing Range                   3,000 km                Mt Kosciuszko, 2,234 m

Mountain range in Asia                      Himalayas                                              2,400 km                Mt Everest, 8,848 m

Mountain range in Asia                      Karakoram                                             500 km                   Mt K2, 8,611 m

Mountain range in Antarctica           Transantarctic Mountain Range (TAM) 3500 km                 Mt Kirkpatrick, 4,528 m

 Mountain Ranges of the World and Countries

Range                                                        Countries

The Alps                                 France,   Austria, Slovenia, Liechtenstein, Italy, Germany and Switzerland

The Rockies                           The U.S.A., Canada

The Andies                            Ecuador, Chile, Columbia, Peru, Argentina, Bolivia and Venezuela

Drakensburg                         South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland

Himalayas                              Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, China, Bhutan and Myanmar

Karakoram                            India, China and Pakistan

Hindukush                             Pakistan, Afghanistan

Hill Stations of India

Hill Station                                         Hills / Mountain                                               State /UT

v  Anantnag                                               Pir Panjal Range                                                   J & K

v  Dalhousie                                              Dhauladhar range                                               Himachal Pradesh

v  Darjeeling                                              Lesser Himalayas or Mahabharat Range        West Bengal

v  Gulmarg                                                 Pir Panjal Range                                                   J & K

v  Kasauli                                                    Sub-Himalayan range                                         Himachal Pradesh

v  Kodaikanal                                             Palani Hills                                                            Tamilnadu

v  Lonavla                                                  Sahyadri Hills                                                       Maharashtra

v  Mahabaleshwar                                   Sahyadri Hills                                                       Maharashtra

v  Manali                                                    Kullu Valley                                                          Himachal Pradesh

v  Mt Abu                                                  Aravalli Hills                                                         Rajasthan

v  Mussoorie                                             Garhwal Hills                                                        Uttarakhand

v  Nainital                                                  Kumaon Hills                                                        Uttarakhand

v  Panchmarhi                                           Satpura Hills                                                         Madhya Pradesh

v  Ooty or Udhamandalam                    Nilgiri Hills                                                            Tamilnadu

v  Coonoor                                                 Nilgiri Hills                                                            Tamilnadu

v  Saputara                                                Sahyadri Hills                                                       Gujarat

v  Horsley Hills                                          Horsely Hills                                                        Andhra Pradesh

 

First to Conquer Mt. Everest

Feature                                                                                  Name                                                         Date

First Persons                                                         Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay                29 May 1953

First Woman                                                         Junko Tabei                                                           16 May 1975

First person to summit twice                            Nawang Gombu                                                   1963 and 1965

First woman to summit twice                           Santosh Yadav                                                      1992 and 1993

Oldest Person                                                       Yuichiro Muira (80 years 224 days)                  23 May 2013

Oldest Woman                                                     Tamae Watanbe (73 years 180 days)               19 May 2012

Youngest Person                                                  Jordan Romera (13 years 10 months 10 days)        19 May 2012

Youngest Female                                                 Malavath Purna (13 years 11 mths)                 25 May 2014

First Indian woman                                              Bachendri Pal                                                       23 May 1984

First Twins                                                             Tashi and Nungshi Malik                                    19 May 2013

First Indian without oxygen                               Phu Dorjee                                                            09 May 1984

First Female amputee                                         Arunima Sinha                                                      21 May 2013

Most Number of times                                       Kami Rita Sherpa (25 times)

Apa Sherpa (21 times)

Phurba Tashi Sherpa (21 times)       

First Blind person                                                Erik Weihenmayer                                               25 May 2001

 

Hill Ranges of India

Maikal Range                                       Eastern part of the Satpuras range (MP)

Kaimur Range                                       Eastern portion of the Vindhya Range in MP, UP & Bihar, Parallel to river son

Mahadeo Range                                  forms the central part of the Satpura Range, located in MP

Highest Peak: Dhoopgarh

Ajanta Range                                        Maharashtra, south of river Tapi, sheltering caves of world famous paintings of Gupta period

Rajmahal Hills                                      In Jharkhand made up of lava basaltic rocks

Point of Ganges bifurcation

Garo Khasi Jaintia Hills                       Continuous Mountain range in Meghalaya

Mikir Hills                                              a group of hills located to the south of the Kaziranga National Park (Assam) a part of the Karbi Anglong Plateau

Abor Hills                                               Hills of Arunachal Pradesh, near the border with China, bordered by Mishmi and Miri Hills drained by Dibang River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra

Mishmi Hills in Arunachal Pradesh with its northern & eastern parts touching China. Situated at the junction of Northeastern Himalaya and Indo-Burma ranges

Patkai Range                                        Also known as Purvanchal Range, consist of three major hills The Patkai-Bum, the Garo-Khasi-Jaintia, and Lushai Hillssituated on India’s north-eastern border with Burma

Mizo Hills (Lushai Hills)part of the Patkai range in Mizoram and partially in Tripura

Dalma Hills Located in Jamshedpur, famous for Dalma national park & minerals like iron ore & manganese.

Dhanjori Hills        Jharkhand

Girnar Hills Gujrat

Baba Budan Giri Karnataka

Harishchandra  At Pune, acts as a water divide bw Godavari & Krishna Hills made up of lava

Balaghat Range Between MP & Maharashtra, famous for manganese deposits

Chilpi Series MP

Talcher series Odisha, rich in bituminous coal

Champion series Karnataka, Dharawar period, rich in gold (contains kolar mines)

Nilgiri Hills                                             Referred as Blue mountains, a range of mountains in the westernmost part of Tamil Nadu at the junction of Karnataka and Kerala Hills are separated from the Karnataka plateau to the north by the Moyar River and from the Anaimalai Hills & Palni Hills to the south by the Palghat Gap

Palani Hills                                            The eastward extension of the Western Ghats ranges adjoin the high Anamalai range on the west, and extend east into the plains of Tamil Nadu

Anamalai Hills                                      Also known as Elephant Hill, a range of mountains in the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu and Kerala with the highest peak Anamudi

Cardmom Hills                                      Part of the southern Western Ghats located in southeast Kerala and southwest Tamil Nadu

Pachamalai Hills                                  also known as the Pachais, The Eastern Ghats in Tamil Nadu

Parasnath Hill                                       Parasnath is a mountain peak in the Parasnath Range. It is located towards the eastern end of the Chota Nagpur Plateau in the Giridih district of Jharkhand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Important Hill Ranges of India