CH-3

OUR CHANGING EARTH

Very short answer type questions.

Q1. Define the lithospheric plates?
Ans1) Lithospheric plate is a massive, irregularly shaped piece of solid rock, generally composed of both
the continental and oceanic lithosphere.

Q2. Why do lithospheric plates move?

Ans2) The moving molten magma inside the earth is responsible for the movement of the lithospheric
plates.

Q3. Write down the geomorphic agents that help in weathering in process?
Ans3) Running water, underground water, glaciers, wind ocean currents etc. are the geomorphic agents

Q4. What is loess?

Ans4) Loess is the fine dust blown beyond the desert limits is deposited on the neighboring lands in large
areas.

Short answer type questions

Q1. What do you know about the erosion and deposition?
Ans1) Erosion is the wearing away of the landscape by different agents like water, wind and ice. While t
the position refers to the fill up of the depression of the earth surface.

Q2. What are endogenic and exogenic forces?

Ans2. Endogenic Forces – The forces that act inside our earth are known as endogenic forces. These
forces can be sudden or slow. Sudden forces produce sudden movement and slow forces cause slow
movement of lithospheric plates.
Exogenic Forces – Forces that work on the surface of the earth are known as exogenic forces. These
forces give rise to a great variety of landforms. These forces are also known as the external forces.

Q3. Write a short note on volcanoes also draw a diagram?

Ans3) Volcano is an opening in the earths crust through which molten material erupts suddenly.
Volcanoes bring hot gases, ash, solid rock materials, stream etc. from the earths interior. The opening of
a volcano on earth surface is called vent. While the funnel shaped basin surrounding the opening area or
vent is termed as crater.
Q4. How are floodplains formed?
Ans4)Floodplains are the depositional landforms of the rivers. Rivers their lower course carry huge
quantities of fine soils and other materials called sediments. During the floods, these sediments are
spread over the adjacent areas. Layer of sediments deposited in the plane areas from a flats fertile
floodplain.

Q5. What are the Ox-bow lakes And meanders?

Ans5) Meanders – Due to the irregularities of the ground force the river swings into various loops that
are called in meanders.
Ox-bow lakes -

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1 Explain the erosional and depositional landforms formed by oceanic waves.

Ans. Oceanic waves are the most powerful agents of coastal erosion.

Erosional landforms formed by the oceanic waves:

(I) SEA CAVES: These are formed due to the gradual erosion of weak and strongly jointed rocks by sea
waves. These joints are widened into large hollows that are called the sea waves.

(II)SEA ARCHES: When two caves approach one another from either side of a headland and unite , they
originate an arch. In arch , only roof of the caves remains.

(III)Stacks: Further erosion by the ocean waves will finally lead to the total collapse of the arch and break
the roof. Then, seaward portion of the headland will remain as a pillar , that is known as a stack.

(IV)Sea cliff: The steep rocky coast rising vertically above sea water is known as the sea cliff.

Depositional landforms:

(I) Beaches: The sea waves deposit sediments along the shows that form beaches. Marina beach on
Tamil Nadu is a famous beach of India.

(II)Bars and Barriers: The embankments of sands formed by sedimentation through sea waves parallel to
the coastline is known a bar, whereas the larger bars are termed as the barriers.

Q2 Give a brief account on the landforms formed by wind work.

Wind is also an important geomorphic agent of erosion. Wind is the most significant and powerful agent
of erosion in the desert areas.

Landforms formed due to wind

Erosional landforms:

(I)Mushroom Rocks: The rocks having broad upper part and narrow base is called the mushroom rock. It
resembles the shape of a mushroom. These are formed due to the excessive erosional work of wind in
the lower section of rock as compared to itsd upper part.

(II)Demoiselles: These are the rocks pillars having relatively resistant rocks at the top and soft rocks
below. Wind erodes the soft rock while the hard rocks remain standing as a pillar, which are known as
demoiselles.

Depositional Landforms

(I)Sand dunes: These are the hills of sand formed by the accumulation of sand and shaped by the
movement of wind. Dunes are formed when wind deposits sand in the form of a low hill.

(II)Loess: The fine dust blown beyond the desert limits is deposited on the neighboring land in large
areas called loess.

Q3 What is glacier? Which landforms are formed by the glaciers?

Ans. Glaciers are rivers of ice. The moving ice mass down slope under the impact of gravity is called
glacier. They generally give birth to the erosional landforms in the highlands, whereas the depositional
landforms in the lowland areas. Glaciers erode their valleys by plucking stones and soils.

Landforms due to glaciers:

Erosional landforms: U-shaped valleys is the most significant erosional landform of the glaciers. The
glaciers on its downward journey , carve out deep , wide, steep sided and flat floored valley , that is
known as the u shped vallwy. Horn cirque, tarn, tail, crag etc are the other erosional features of glaciers

Depositional landforms: Moraines, drumlines, ester etc the important depositional landforms of glaciers.
Moraines are formed when the materials carried by the glaciers such as rock big and small sand and silt
gets deposited.

Q4 Why do mushroom rocks have top and narrow base?

Ans. Wind is an geomorphic agent of erosion. It is comparatively minor agent because of low density of
air as compared to the rock and water. Wind works as an active erosional agent in desert areas amd
form.

Mushroom rocks have broad top and narrow base due to the excessive erosional work of the wind in the
lower section of rock as compared to its upper part. It resembles the shape of a mushroom.
Q5 Sea caves are turned into stacks. Give reasons.

Ans. See or ocean waves and currents are the most powerful agents of coastal erosion. The erosional
and depositional works of the sea waves give birth to coastal landscapes. Sea cave are formed due to
the glacial erosion of weak and strongly jointed rocks by sea waves. See waves continuously strike at the
rocks, cracks develop and over time they become cave like structure called see cave, but further
erosion by the ocean waves will finally lead to the total collapse of the arch and breaks the roof. Then,
seaward portion of the headland will remain as a pillar like image. In this way sea caves are turned into
stacks.

Q6 Earthquakes and volcanoes carry huge loss of life and property. Explain

Ans. The earthquake and volcanoes are the sudden and natural hazards. They can occur any time of a
year. These natural hazards are caused due to the sudden movements in the lithospheric plates. They
caused extreme destruction on the earth’s surface following are the major impacts of the national
hazards called the earthquakes and volcanoes.

1. They cause huge loss of the life and property .

2. They affect animals and birds.
3. They also affect the quality of soil and land.
4. They also adversely affect the environment.
5. They cause the risk of global warning by producing harmful gases.

MCQ
1. Who coined the statement that the earth instead of appearing as an inert statue is a living
mobile thing?
(a) Peter Wilson (b) Weber
(b) Tuzo Wilzon (d) Albert James
2. Which one of the following is not associated with the sudden forces?
(a)Volcano
(b) Earthquake
(c)Landslides
(d) Building mountains

3. Which one of the following is used to measure the intensity of an earthquake?

(a) Wind vane (b) Richter Scale

(c)Moho Scale (d) None of these

4. Which one of the following is a depositional landform of a glacier?

(a) Floodplain (b) Levees

(c) Stacks (d) Moraines

 5. Which one of the following is not a correct match?

(a) Beaches-Sea waves (b) Mushroom rocks- Wind

(c) Oxbow lake- River (d)Loess-Glaciers

Ans.1(c) 2(d) 3(b) 4(d) 5(d)