The Himalayas and Other Peninsular Mountains

MOUNTAINS
The Himalayas along with other Peninsular
mountains are young, weak and flexible in their
geological structure unlike the rigid and stable
Peninsular Block. Consequently, they are still
subjected to the interplay of exogenic and
endogenic forces, resulting in the development of
faults, folds and thrust plains. These mountains
are tectonic in origin, dissected by fast-flowing
rivers which are in their youthful stage. Various
landforms like gorges, V-shaped valleys, rapids,
waterfalls, etc. are indicative of this stage.during the third phase of the Himalayan
mountain formation approximately about 64
million years ago. Since then, it has been
gradually filled by the sediments brought by
the Himalayan and Peninsular rivers. Average
depth of alluvial deposits in these plains
ranges from 1,000-2,000 m.
It is evident from the above discussion that
there are significant variations among the
different regions of India in terms of their
geological structure, which has far-reaching
impact upon other related aspects. Variations
in the physiography and relief are important
among these. The relief and physiography of
India has been greatly influenced by the
geological and geomorphological processes
active in the Indian subcontinent.Based on these macro variations, India can
be divided into the following physiographic
divisions:
(i) The Northern and Northeastern Mountains
(ii) The Northern Plain
(iii) The Peninsular Plateau
(iv) The Indian Desert
(v) The Coastal Plains
(vi) The Islands.
North and Northeastern Mountains:-
The North and Northeastern Mountains consist
of the Himalayas and the Northeastern hills.
The Himalayas consist of a series of parallel
mountain ranges. Some of the important ranges
are the Greater Himalayan range, which
includes the Great Himalayas and the Trans-
Himalayan range, the Middle Himalayas and the Shiwalik. The general orientation of these
ranges is from northwest to the southeast
direction in the...