There are three types of despositional plains (i) Flood plains (ii) Coastal plains (iii) Loess plains
Forces inside and outside the earth can change the shape of earth’s surface. We have already seen the effects of geomorphic forces in our previous Geography notes. Endogenic forces and exogenic forces can create a lot of landforms. A landform is a natural feature of the solid surface of the Earth. Examples include Mountains, Plateaus, and Plains.
In this post, ClearIAS brings you a brief overview of the major landforms of the earth, in a reader-friendly format, which helps in faster-learning. You will also be able to learn the economic significance of mountains, plateaus and plains. Aspirants who prepare for UPSC exams can surely expect many questions from this topic.
Mountains
Nearly 27% of the world’s land surface is covered by mountains.
It is from the mountains that up to 80% of the planet’s fresh surface water come from.
According to UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about 12% of the world’s population lives in the mountains, but over 50% are directly or indirectly dependent on mountain resources.
CLASSIFICATION OF MOUNTAINS
The mountains, on the basis of their mode of formation, can be classified as:
Fold Mountains
Block Mountains
Volcanic Mountains/ Accumulated Mountains
Residual Mountains/ Relict Mountains
Fold Mountains
Mountain ranges mainly consisting of uplifted folded sedimentary rocks are called Fold Mountains.
They are formed due to the force of compression arising from the endogenic or internal forces.
Synclines (trough) and anticlines (crest) are part of Fold Mountains.