Landforms

Landforms

(Karst, Marine, Arid and Glacial topography)

Landforms - Landforms are features on the Earth's surface that make up the terrain, such as mountains, valleys, plains or plateau. 

Types of Landforms/topography

1. Riverine Landforms (formed due to the action of river water)
2. Karst (formed due to the action of underground water)
3. Desert/Arid landform (formed due to the action of wind)
4. Marine (formed due to the action of coastal water)
5. Glacial (formed due to the action of glacier)

Riverine Landforms - Discussed in previous article

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Karst Topography

Agent - Underground Water

Process involved - Abrasion, Attrition, Corrosion

It is more active on landmass consisting of limestone or dolomite.

Precipitation + Carbon di-oxide = Carbonic acid 🠊 Corrosive action on limestone/dolomite 🠊 water seeps underground 🠊 Underground river channel is created known as Karst.

Erosional Landforms -

1.   Sinkholes (small depressions on the surface)

2.   Swallow holes (Sinkholes with wider area)

3.   Dolines (when multiple sinkholes merge)

4.   Uvala/Valley Sinks (when multiple shallow holes merge)

5.   Blind Valley (river valley without water)

6.   Cave (usually underground)

Depositional Landforms -

1.   Stalactites

2.   Stalagmites

3.   Pillars

Marine Topography

Agent - Coastal water

Process involved - Abrasion, Attrition, Corrasion, Cavitation, Hydraulic Action

Erosional landforms 

1.   Cliff

2.   Wave cut platform

3.   Bay

4.   Hanging valley

5.   Sea Cave

6.   Sea Arch

7.   Sea Stack

8.   Stump

9.   Blow Hole

Depositional landforms

1.   Wave built platform

2.   Beach

3.   Offshore Sandbar

4.   Sand split

5.   Tombolo

6.   Coastal lagoon

Arid/Desert Topography

Agent - Wind

Process involved - Abrasion, Attrition, Deflation

Erosional landforms

1.   Deflation hollows

2.   Ventifact (polished surface by wind action)

3.   Mushroom Rock

4.   Zeugen (Longitudinal topographies with continuous hard and soft rocks arranged in vertical layers)

5.   Yardang (when rocks are arranged in horizontal layers)

6.   Inselberg (remnant of hills)

Depositional Landform

1.   Sand dunes

      (a)  Berchan

      (b)  Seif

      (c)  Longitudinal sand dunes

      (d)  Parabolic

      (e)  Transverse sand dunes

2.   Bolson lake/Playa lake

3.   Wadi (Gorge in desert)

4.   Pediment (desert plain)

Glacial topography

Agent - Glacier

Process involved - Abrasion, Plucking

Erosional landform

1.   Nivation hollow

2.   Cirque

3.   Arete

4.   Horn (cirque on all sides. eg - Matterhorn, Switzerland)

5.   Col (when top collapsed)

6.   U-Shaped valley

7.   Hanging valley (where smaller U-shaped valley meets larger U-shaped valley)

8.   Fiorde/Fjord (Glacial valley which is submerged in coastal area)

Depositional Landform

1.   Moraine - Moraines are the unstratified sediments which are being carried by glacier. It is of five types - Lateral Moraine, Medial Moraine, End Moraine, Terminal Moraine and Ground Moraine.

2.   Tillites (Clay + Tills) - These are the heterogeneous mixture of clay and tills belonging to pre-historic period.

3.   Drumlins (basket of eggs) - When semi-circular deposits are formed along the region where glacier are melting

4.   Esker (longitudinal ridges)

Previous Article - Riverine Landforms

Notes on other subjects

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Public Administration

Note - This is my Vision IAS Notes (Vision IAS Class Notes) and Ashutosh Pandey Sir's Public Administration Class notes. I've also added some of the information on my own. 

Hope! It will help you to achieve your dream of getting selected in Civil Services Examination 👍