MAJOR LANDFORMS

WHAT WE ARE GOING TO STUDY?

 Mountains
 Plateaus
 Plains
 Islands
• Types
• formation
• examples
MOUNTAINS
 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.
TYPES OF MOUNTAINS

1. Fold mountains
2. Block mountains
3. Volcanic mountains
4. Residual mountains
 Due to tectonic activities.
 Compressional force causes folding.
 Also known as mountains of elevation.
 Contains many active volcanos, especially
in Circum - pacific belt.
FORMATION OF FOLD MOUNTAINS
EXAMPLES OF FOLD MOUNTAINS

 Himalayas
 Rockies
 Andies
 Alps
 Atlas
 Faulting may cause a section of earth crust
to subside or to rise above surrounding
level.
 The mountain part is known as horst or
block mountain
 The counter part is known as graben or rift
valley
 It can be caused by both tension and
compression.
 Examples of block mountains

1. Vosages and Black forest of Rhine

land
 Also known as mountains of accumulation.
 Due to vulcanism.
 Common in Circum – pacific belt.
EXAMPLES
 Mt. Fuji – Japan
 Mt. Cotopaxi – Ecuador
 Mt. Agung - Bali
 Mountains evolved by denudation.
EXAMPLES
 Aravalli
 Ural mountains
SIGNIFICANCE OF MOUNTAINS
 Natural boundary
 Source of water
 Hydrel electricity
 Matters for disaster risk reduction
 Biodiversity hotspots
 Indigenous population
 Tourism
PLATEAU
 Elevated uplands with extensive level surface
and usually descend steeply to the
surrounding lowland.
TYPES
1. Intermontane Plateaus
2. Piedmont plateaus
3. Continental plateaus
4. Volcanic plateaus
5. Dissected plateaus
 INTERMONTANE PLATEAUS
 The plateaus which are bordering the
mountain ranges (generally fold mountains)
or are partly or fully enclosed within them
are the intermontane plateaus
 Examples: The Plateau of Tibet , Bolivian
plateau
 PIEDMONT PLATEAUS
 Plateaus which is situated at the foot of a
mountain and is locked on the other side by
a plain or a sea/ ocean is called as a
piedmont plateau.
 The word ‘piedmont’ means ‘foot of a
mountain’.
 also called as Plateaus of denudation
 Examples: The Malwa Plateau is an example
of piedmont plateau.
CONTINENTAL PLATEAUS
 Continental plateaus are bordered on all
sides by the plains or seas, forming away
from mountains.
 This kind of plateaus shows an abrupt
elevation in contrast to the nearby lowland
or sea (i.e. more steepness on sides).
 The Continental Plateaus are also known
as Plateaus of Accumulation.
 Examples: Plateau of Maharashtra is an
example of the continental plateau.
 VOLCANIC PLATEAU
 A volcanic plateau is formed by numerous
small volcanic eruptions that slowly build up
over time, forming a plateau from the
resulting lava flows.

Example: The Columbia Plateau in the

northwestern United States of America and
Deccan Traps in India
 DISSECTED PLATEAUS
 A dissected plateau is a plateau area that
has been severely eroded so that the relief
is sharp.
 Example: Colorado Plateau, in the western
United States
SIGNIFICANCE OF PLATEAUS
 Storehouses of minerals
 Source of several waterfalls
 Hydrel electricity
 Energy resources
 lava plateaus that are formed due to
volcanic eruptions have black soil, which is
suitable for cultivation
 scenic spots which greatly attract tourists.
CLASSIFICATION OF PLAINS
 On the basis of their mode of
formation, plains can be classified as:
1.Structural plain
2.Erosional plains
3.Depositional plains
1. STRUCTURAL PLAINS
These are structurally depressed
areas of the world.
Examples
 Great plains in USA
 Central lowlands of Australia.

2. DEPOSITIONAL PLAINS
 Formed by deposition of materials
brought by various agents.
Examples

By Rivers
 Flood plains, deltaic plains.
By Glaciers
 Till plain
By Waves
 Coastal plains
By Winds
 Loess
3. EROSIONAL PLAINS
 These plains are carved by agents of
erosion.
Examples
 Peneplains – by Rivers
 Pedi plains – by Wind
 Ice scoured plains – by Glaciers
ISLAND FORMATION &
DISTRIBUTION
 ISLAND FORMATION
 An island is a body of land
surrounded by water.

Types of Islands
1.Continental Islands
2. Parts of submerged mountain
systems
3. Volcanic Islands
4. Coral Islands
5. Riverine Islands
6. Artificial Islands
Continental Islands
 These are originally the part of continents .
they are detached from the continents due
to rift
 Eg: Madagascar

Parts of Submerged mountains

 sometimes submerged mountains may rises
over the sea level it causes the formation of
Islands
 eg: Andaman & Nicobar , Islands
Volcanic Islands
 Are formed by the convergence of two
oceanic plates – it induces volcanism
in the sea – causes the formation of
Island arc
 eg: Indonesia, Philippines etc.

Coral islands
 Are formed with the skeletons of
corals
 Eg: Lakshadweep
Riverine Islands
 Are formed by the sedimentation process of
rivers
 Eg: Majuli in Brahmaputra

Artificial Islands
An artificial island is an island that has
been constructed by people rather than
formed by natural means.
Eg: Flevopolder , Hong kong International
airport
SIGNIFICANCE OF ISLANDS
 Islands are biodiversity hotspots and
home to rare species.
 Islands are sea level indicators and
conservation frontiers.
 Islands are rest stops and nesting sites for
birds.
 Islands are key foundations for coral
reef ecosystems.
 People in Islands have different culture
 Strategic defense locations
THAK YOU