Physiography of India: The Great

Plain of North India

B.A./B.Sc. 2nd year

University of Allahabad
prepared by Dr. Koyel Paul
 The Great Plain of North India
• It is the aggradational plain formed by the
depositional work of three major river systems
viz., the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.
This arcuate plain is known as Indo-Gangetic-
Brahmaputra Plain.
• The plain comprises very thick sediments of the
order of 10 km developed as a result of the
collision of the Indian and the Asian Continental
plates.
• Total Area of 7.8 lakh sq. km
 Origin of the Plain
• It is a result of filling of a deep depression lying between Peninsular and
Himalayan region by the depositional work of the rivers coming from these
land masses.
• According to Wadia- it is a depression between Peninsula and mountain
region.
• E.Suess- a foredeep was formed in front of Himalaya, it is like a large
syncline where alluvium coming from both Himalayan and Peninsular
rivers were deposited. In due course of the time this syncline was
completely filled and the great Indian Plain is formed. It rests on hard
crystalline rocks.
• Sir Sydney Burrard- Indo-Gangetic alluvium conceals a great deep rift, or
fracture, in the earth’s sub crust, several thousands metres deep, the hollow
being subsequently filled up by detrital. He ascribes to such sub-crustal
cracks or rifts a fundamental importance in geotectonics and attributes the
elevation of the Himalayan Chain to an incidental bending or curbing
movement of the northern wall to the fissure. Such tracts between parallel
and vertical dislocation are known as rift valleys. The rift valley between
Himalaya and Peninsula give birth to this plain.
Geological Back ground of great Indian
plain
• The interplate subduction along the Main Central (or
central crystalline) thrust/ MCT cause 20 km upliftment of
the Central Himalaya.
• This exposed the uplifted rocks from the south Himalayan
province and resulted in erosion, sediment generation and
the subsidence of northern part of the peninsular Indian
plate to the Indo-Gangetic basin as a true foredeep
downwarp of the Himalayan foreland. Within continued
northward push of the Indian plate, the peninsular portion
also contributed sediments.
• In the Indo-Gangetic basin paralleling Himalayas,
sedimentation started with the shale, marine environment
of the Tethys geosyncline changed into estuarine-deltaic
and finally to fluvial.
A general outlines of Unique Features
• Unique level relief: Dominated by
aggradational forces and absence of major
earth movements.
• Levees and bluffs
• Older alluvium terraces
• Ravines: series of badlands and gullies,
specially in Chambal and Yamuna
 Geomorphology of the Plain
• The Bhabar: lies along the foot of the Shiwalik running from the Indus to the
Teesta about 8-16 km width . It is a piedmont plain consisting pebble studded
zone intermixed with finer and extremely previous detritus so that the smaller
Himalayan river disappear underground on reaching this region. The area
marked by dry river courses except in rainy season.
• The Tarai/Terai-(Hindi ‘Ter’-wet):15-30 km wide marshy land in the south of
Bhabar running parallel to it. This zone is marked by re-emergence of stream
which have lost themselves in the Bhabar belt. It is a marshy tract and zone of
excessive dampness with a thick growth of forest and wild life.
• The Bhangar: The older alluvium of middle Pleistocene age and form the
alluvial terrace above the level of flood plain. Calcareous concentration of this
deposit is known as Kankar.
• The Khadar: The youngest alluvium of the flood plain. It has less kankar.
.
 Contd..
Reh or Kollar: Barren saline drier area of UP & Hariyana
Bhur: elevated piece of land due to the accumulation of
wind blown sand .
• Barind Plain: Older delta of the Ganga (West Bengal)
formed during the Pleistocene, lifted and eroded into low
uplands with extensive laterite formations.
• Cones and Intercones: Cones are the Fan shaped alluvial
deposits at the foothills where the river meets the plain.
Prominent along with rivers Gandak, Kosi, Mahananda and
Tista
• Intercones are the intervening slopes.
• Sometimes cones and intercones merge to form cone-
footplains
 Regional divisions of Great Plains of
India
• 1. The Rajasthan Plain
• 2. The Punjab-Haryana Plain
• 3. The Ganga Plain
• 4. The Brahmaputra Plain
 Rajasthan Plain
• Total area of the Desert 2.0 lakh sq.km out of which 1.75 lakh sq.km is in
India.
• Average elevation 325mt from sea level, descends at 150 mt towards Indus
valley and Rann of Kuchchh.
• Marusthali - proper desert
• Rajasthan Bagar-semi arid plain
• Rohi-fertile area
• Different types of dunes are very significant features here, viz., parabolic,
longitudinal, transverse, barchan and shrub-coppice(nabkha).
• Imp. river- Luni, north of Luni basin there are several saline lakes,locally
known as Rann.
• Sambhar, Didwana, Degana Kuchaman , Sargol, Khatu are some important
lakes here. largest - Sambhar situated in the Aravali terrain, 30 km long,
avg width-3-8 km, area 225 sq.km.
 Punjab-Haryana Plain
• This region is situated in the north east of
Rajasthan Plain, length 640 km in north west
to south west direction and 300 km wide in
East West direction, total area 1.75 lakh sq.
km.avg elevation 250 mt.
• Formed by the alluvial deposition of five
rivers: the Satluj, The Beas, the Ravi, the
Chenab, and the Jhelum.
• This region primarily made up of five ‘doabs’:
Doab Rivers involved
Bist- Jalandhar Doab Beas and satluj
Bari Doab Beas and Ravi
Rechna Doab Ravi and Chenab
Chaj Doab Chenab and Jhelum
Sind Sagar Doab Jhelum- Chenab and the Indus
• Dhayas : Mass of alluvium has been broken by the
river courses, carved as broad flood plains of Khadar
flanked by Bluffs.
• Bet lands: Agriculturally rich khadar belt
• Chos: small stream which erode the northern part of
the plain adjoining Shiwalik region, extensive gully
formation.
• Hariyana Tract: area between Ghaggar and Yamuna
river in Hariyana
• Saraswati river: Ghaggar, the present day successor
of saraswati.
 The Ganga Plain
• Largest unit of Great Plain of India, covering
from Delhi to Kolkata, states of Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar and West Bengal covering an area 3.75
lakh sq. km.
• General slope is to the east and south east.
• Main river: Ganga along with its large no of
tributaries originating in the Himalayan ranges,
viz. Yamuna, Gomati, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi
and some rivers from peninsular origin such as
Chambal, Betwa, ken, Son etc.
 Upper Ganga Plain
• In the north from 300 mt contour of Shiwalik from
the Peninsular boundary in the south and the
course of the Yamuna in the West.
• east west direction-550 km,380 km in the north -
south direction, covering an area 1.49 sq.km.
elevation varies from 100-300 mt.
• The monotony of this flat & featureless plain is
broken by the Tarai-Bhabar submontane belt, river
bluffs, river meanders, oxbow lakes, levees,
abondoned river courses, sandy streches and river
channels.
 The Middle Ganga Plain
• East of the Upper Ganga Plain is middle Ganga plain
occupying eastern part of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. East-
west distance 600 km north-south 330 km, total area 1.44
lakh sq.km. avg altitude 30-100 metre.
• it is a part of Indus-gangetic trough. regionally some small
troughs are also there,i.e. Gorakkhpur trough, ramnagar-
motihari trough etc. alluvial cones and Tal are very common
feature here.
• bhabar, bhangar & khadar available here.
• shifting river course is very important here in terms of
floods occurence.
• Ganga- Ghaghara doab, Ghaghara-Gandak doab and
Gandak-Kosi doab
 The Lower Ganga Plain
• from Kishanganj of Purnea district to the mouth of the
river.
• total area 81 thousand sq.km. avg altitude 2-30 metre.
• Tarai, Duars, Barendrabhumi/Barind , Tal, diara, Rarh and
delta region.
• developed by fluvial and littoral deposits.
• Malda gap- separate Meghalaya plateau from the
Peninsular plateau
• In lower reach, Bhagirathi changes its course several
times which develops several bills here.
• Sundarban
 Brahmaputra Plain
• Eastern continuation of great plain region.
• Well demarcated northern boundary by Eastern Himalaya of
Arunachal Pradesh (Main boundary fault), Patkai and Naga hills by
East,Garo-Khasi-Jaintia and Mikir Hills in the south(Naga thrust)
and western boundary to lower Ganga Plain.
• 720 km long, average width 60-100 km, avg. height 30-130 mtr,
covers an area of 56 thousands sq. km. there is a wide variation in
width due to geomorphological set up.
• Built up by depositional works of Brahmaputra and its tributaries.
• General slope is N.E. to S.W.
• River meandering, bills and ox bow lakes are common features here.