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2) Geomorphic processes
3) Earth Movements – Endogenetic Movements
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3.1) Diastrophism
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3.1.2) Orogenic or the mountain- f orming Feat ured Post s

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3.2) Sudden Movements Geography Notes PDF

for UPSC IAS Civil
3.2.1) Earthquake
Services Exam
3.2.2) Volcanoes

Solar System
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Karst Landforms &

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Effects of Air
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Eart h Movement s
Ocean Acidification

Our eart h is undergoing deformat ions

Comparison of
impercept ibly [so slight , gradual, or subt le as Tropical Cyclones &
not t o be perceived] but cont inuously. Temperate Cyclones

These deformat ions are caused by t he

Fronts | Types of
movement s generat ed by various fact ors like
Fronts: Stationary
1. The heat generated by the radioactive Front, Warm Front,

elements in earth’s interior.

2. Movement of the crustal plates due to
tectogenesis.
3. Forces generated by rotation of the earth.
4. Climatic factors like winds, precipitation,
pressure belts etc.

Isostacy ==> According t o t his concept s,

blocks of t he eart h’s crust , because of
variat ions in densit y would rise t o different
levels and appear on t he surface as mount ains,
plat eau, plains or ocean basins

Tectonic ==> relat ing t o t he st ruct ure of t he

eart h’s crust and t he large-scale processes
which t ake place wit hin it .

Geomorphic processes

Geomorphic == relat ing t o t he form of t he

landscape and ot her nat ural feat ures of t he
eart h’s surface.
The endogenic and exogenic forces causing
physical and chemical changes on eart h surface
are known as geomorphic processes.

Diastrophism and volcanism are endogenic

geomorphic processes.

Weathering, mass wasting, erosion and

deposition are exogenic geomorphic
processes.
 Geomorphic agent == mobile medium (like
running wat er, moving ice masses, wind, waves
and current s et c.) which removes, t ransport s
and deposit s eart h mat erials.

Eart h Movement s – Endogenet ic

Movement s

The int eract ion of mat t er and t emperat ure

generat es t hese forces or movement s inside
t he eart h’s crust . The eart h movement s are
mainly of t wo t ypes: diastrophism and t he
sudden movements.

The energy emanat ing from within the earth is

t he main force behind endogenic geomorphic
processes.

This energy is most ly generat ed by

radioactivity, rotational and tidal friction and
primordial heat from t he origin of t he eart h.
This energy due t o geot hermal gradient s and
heat flow from wit hin induces diast rophism and
volcanism in t he lit hosphere.

1.  Diastrophism

Diast rophism is t he general t erm applied t o

slow bending, folding, warping and
fracturing.

Wrap == make or become bent or t wist ed out

of shape, t ypically from t he act ion of heat or
damp; make abnormal; dist ort .

All processes t hat move, elevat e or build up

port ions of t he eart h’s crust come under
diast rophism They include:
 diast rophism. They include:

1. orogenic processes involving mount ain

building t hrough severe folding and affect ing
long and narrow belt s of t he eart h’s crust ;

2. epeirogenic processes involving uplift or

warping of large parts of t he eart h’s crust ;

3. earthquakes involving local relat ively minor

movement s;

4. plate tectonics involving horizont al

movement s of crust al plat es.

In t he process of orogeny, t he crust is severely

deformed int o folds. Due t o epeirogeny, t here
may be simple deformat ion. Orogeny is a
mountain building process whereas
epeirogeny is continental building process.
Through t he processes of orogeny, epeirogeny,
eart hquakes and plat e t ect onics, t here can be
fault ing and fract uring of t he crust . All t hese
processes cause pressure, volume and
t emperat ure (PVT) changes which in t urn induce
met amorphism of rocks.

1.1  Epeirogenic or cont inent forming

movement s

In geology, Epeirogenic movement refers t o

upheavals or depressions of land exhibit ing long
wavelengths [undulations] and lit t le folding.

The broad cent ral part s of cont inent s are

called cratons, and are subject t o epeirogeny.
The movement is caused by a set of forces
act ing along an Eart h radius, such as t hose
cont ribut ing t o Isostacy and Faulting in t he
lit hosphere
 Epeirogenic or cont inent forming movement s
act along the radius of the earth; t herefore,
t hey are also called radial movements. Their
direct ion may be towards (subsidence) or
away (uplift) from t he cent er. The result s of

such movement s may be clearly defined in t he

relief.

Uplif t

Raised beaches, elevat ed wave-cut t erraces,

sea caves and fossiliferous beds above sea
level are evidences of uplift .

Raised beaches, some of t hem elevat ed as

much as 15 m t o 30 m above t he present sea
level, occur at several places along t he
Kathiawar, Nellore, and Thirunelveli coast s.

Several places which were on t he sea some

cent uries ago are now a few miles inland. For
example, Coringa near the mouth of the
Godavari, Kaveripattinam in the Kaveri delta
and Korkai on the coast of Thirunelveli, were
all flourishing sea port s about 1,000 t o 2,000
years ago.
Subsidence

Submerged forest s and valleys as well as

buildings are evidences of subsidence.

In 1819, a part of t he Rann of Kachchh was

submerged as a result of an eart hquake.

Presence of peat and lignit e beds below t he

sea level in Thirunelveli and t he Sunderbans is
an example of subsidence.
The Andamans and Nicobars have been isolat ed
from t he Arakan coast by submergence of t he
int ervening land.

On t he east side of Bombay island, t rees have

been found embedded in mud about 4 m below
low wat er mark. A similar submerged forest has
also been not iced on t he Thirunelveli coast in
Tamil Nadu.
A large part of t he Gulf of Mannar and Palk
St rait is very shallow and has been submerged
in geologically recent t imes. A part of t he
former t own of Mahabalipuram near Chennai
(Madras) is submerged in t he sea.

1.2  Orogenic or t he mount ain-forming

movement s
 Orogenic or t he mount ain-forming movement s
act tangentially t o t he eart h surface, as in
plat e t ect onics.

Tensions produces fissures (since t his t ype

of force act s away from a point in t wo
direct ions) and compression produces folds

(because t his t ype of force act s t owards a

point from t wo or more direct ions). In t he
landforms so produced, t he st ruct urally
ident ifiable unit s are difficult t o recognise.

In general, diast rophic forces which have

uplift ed lands have predominat ed over forces
which have lowered t hem.

2.  Sudden Movements

These movement s cause considerable

deformat ion over a short span of t ime, and may
be of t wo t ypes.

2.1  Eart hquake

It occurs when t he surplus accumulat ed st ress

in rocks in t he eart h’s int erior is relieved t hrough
 in rocks in t he eart hs int erior is relieved t hrough
t he weak zones over t he eart h’s surface in form
of kinet ic energy of wave mot ion causing
vibrat ions (at t imes devast at ing) on t he eart h’s
surface. Such movement s may result in uplift in
coast al areas.

An eart hquake in Chile (1822) caused a one-

met re uplift in coast al areas.
An eart hquake in New Zealand (1885) caused an
uplift of upt o 3 met res in some areas while
some areas in Japan (1891) subsided by 6
met res aft er an eart hquake.
Eart hquakes may cause change in cont ours,
change in river courses, ‘t sunamis’ (seismic
waves creat ed in sea by an eart hquake, as t hey
are called in Japan) which may cause shoreline
changes, spect acular glacial surges (as in
Alaska), landslides, soil creeps, mass wast ing
et c.

2.2  Volcanoes

Volcanism includes t he movement of molt en

rock (magma) ont o or t oward t he eart h’s
surface and also format ion of many int rusive
and ext rusive volcanic forms.
A volcano is formed when t he molt en magma in
t he eart h’s int erior escapes t hrough t he crust
by vent s and fissures in t he crust , accompanied
by st eam, gases (hydrogen sulphide, sulphur
dioxide, hydrogen chloride, carbon dioxide)
and pyroclast ic mat erial. Depending on chemical
composit ion and viscosit y of t he lava, a volcano
may t ake various forms.
Pyroclastic ==> adject ive of or denot ing rock