🔹 What are Mountains?

Mountains are natural elevations of the Earth’s surface rising steeply above the surrounding area, usually with a height of more than 600 meters.

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🔹 Types of Mountains

1. Fold Mountains

• Formed by compression of Earth’s crust due to plate collision
• Explained by Plate Tectonics

Examples:

• Himalayas
• Alps

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2. Block Mountains

• Formed due to faulting
• Uplifted blocks are called Horsts
• Down-dropped blocks are called Grabens

Example:

• Black Forest

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3. Volcanic Mountains

• Formed due to volcanic activity

Example:

• Mount Kilimanjaro

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4. Residual (Erosional) Mountains

• Formed by erosion of existing mountains

Example:

• Aravalli Range

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🔹 Importance of Mountains

• Source of rivers (e.g., Ganga River)
• Climate barriers (rainfall patterns)
• Rich in forests and biodiversity
• Tourism and adventure activities

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🔹 Distribution of Mountains

• Found along plate boundaries
• Major mountain belts:
  • Circum-Pacific Belt
  • Alpine-Himalayan Belt

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🏞️ PLATEAUS

🔹 What are Plateaus?

Plateaus are flat-topped elevated areas that rise sharply above the surrounding land.

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🔹 Types of Plateaus

1. Intermontane Plateau

• Located between mountains

Example:

• Tibetan Plateau

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2. Volcanic Plateau

• Formed by lava flows

Example:

• Deccan Plateau

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3. Piedmont Plateau

• Formed at the base of mountains

Example:

• Malwa Plateau

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4. Continental Plateau

• Cover large areas of continents

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🔹 Importance of Plateaus

• Rich in minerals (coal, iron, etc.)
• Ideal for power generation (hydel + thermal)
• Agriculture in some regions
• Grazing lands

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🔹 Characteristics of Plateaus

• Flat or gently rolling surface
• Steep sides
• Less populated in many areas

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🌾 PLAINS

🔹 What are Plains?

Plains are large areas of flat or gently sloping land, usually at low elevation.

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🔹 Types of Plains

1. Structural Plains

• Formed by uplift of land

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2. Erosional Plains

• Formed by erosion of highlands

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3. Depositional Plains

• Formed by deposition of sediments by rivers

Example:

• Indo-Gangetic Plain

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🔹 Importance of Plains

• Highly fertile land (agriculture)
• Dense population
• Development of transport and industries
• Major civilizations developed here

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🔹 Characteristics of Plains

• Level surface
• Fertile soil
• Well-developed transport network

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🔁 Difference Between Mountains, Plateaus & Plains

Feature	Mountains	Plateaus	Plains
Elevation	Very high	High but flat	Low
Surface	Rugged	Flat top	Flat
Population	Sparse	Moderate	Dense
Economic Activity	Tourism, forestry	Mining	Agriculture

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• These three landforms are major physical features of the Earth.
• They are formed by internal forces (like tectonics) and external forces (like erosion and deposition).
• Each landform plays a crucial role in human life, economy, and environment.