MOR Mid Oceanic Ridge

MOR Mid Oceanic Ridge

Rising limb of
current breaks the
Ocean crust
Basaltic eruption
Accumulation of
lava ridge =>
MOR
New Oceanic crust
Divergent limb
expansion of ocean
crust

Trenches

MOR - Trench

At trench Ocean
floor destroyed
melted in mantle
Oceanic crust
heavier than
continental crust
Ocean floor act
like conveyor belt
Ocean floor
cyclic process
300 ml yrs

Mariana trench

Q. In which one of the

following oceans the
Diamantina Trench is
located?
a) Pacific Ocean
b) Atlantic Ocean
c) Indian Ocean
d) Arctic Ocean
Ans. C)

Questio
n
UPSC
Prelims
2006

Diamantine trench

Palaeo-magentism
Magnetism of
rocks along MOR
Magnetometer
-Magnetic parallel
stripes normal
and reverse
magnetic profile
1st Carlsberg ridge
Indian ocean

Geomagnetism

Palaeo-magentism
Vine and mattheus
Molten lava get
polarity
geomagnetic field
of that period
-Solidify
Ocean floor
magnetic tape

Palaeo-magnetism
conclusion
1) Periodic reversal of magnetic field of
the earth
2) Rate of sea-floor spreading decided by
age + distance between two equal
magnetic stripes
Atlantic 1.0 cm/ year
Indian 1.5 cm/year
Pacific 6.0 cm/year

Continental drift

3 Theories

Plate tectonic Theory

Unanswered questions
Formation of fold mountains?
Reason for earth quake?
Reason for volcanism on land?

Plate tectonic theory

Work of many scientists from
different discipline
Came out in 1960s
Based on 2 scientific evidences
1) sea-floor spreading
2) Palaeo-magnetism
The most latest and accepted theory

Plates
Crust and upper part of
mantle => lithosphere
Asthenosphere =
unique mechanical
rigidity, semi-molten,
plastic
Lithosphere float over
Asthenosphere
Lithosphere is not
continuous, broken,
known as plates

plates
J.T Wilson termed
Plate (litho,
100km)
3 types of plates:
Entirely oceanic,
entirely continental
and both
continental and
oceanic
6 major and 20
minor plates

Plates of the world

Chemical composition of Interior

Inner core= Fe, Ni

Outer core = Fe, Ni + silica
Mantle = Olivine
Oceans = basalt
Continents = granite and andesite

Locatio Exampl Proper

n of
e
ty
rocks

Mantle Olivine

highly
fluid
Heavie
st
Oceani Basalt
Fluid
c crust
Heavy
Contin Andesite less
ental
mobile
crust
Lighter

geomor
ph
Fundam
ental
Rocks

Burning and Melting of rocks

Plate Interactions

Divergent Boundary

Divergent Plate Boundary

Ascending limb of
convection current
below O /C
Below ocean MOR
Below continent
rift valley, nascent
sea

Divergent Plate Boundary

Continental crust
Oceanic crust - MOR

Phases of Divergent continental

Rift valley
crust

Phases of Divergent continental

crust

The Great African rift valley

Red sea Nascent sea

Africa after 10 ml years

Knot of Plates

Knot of plates

Lakes and Nile river -African rift

valley

African lakes

River Nile

Grand Renaissance dam, Ethiopia

From 2011 on Blue Nile
Africas largest
hydroelectric dam
Egypt to lose water
share + hydro
electricity from Aswan
Egypt showed
reservation but Ethiopia
did not pay heed
Egypt ready for military
intervention
British treaties between
Egypt and Sudan

Locations in Africa

Nubian desert
Eastern desert
Namib desert
Lake Victoria
Lake Malawi
Lake Turkana
Lake chad
River Congo

River Niger
Mt. Kilimanjaro
Katanga plateau
Grain coast
Ivory coast
Gold coast
Slave coast
Darfur

Q. Which one of the

following lakes form an
international boundary
between Tanzania and
Uganda?
a) Chad
b) Malawi
c) Victoria
d) Zambezi

Questio
n
UPSC
Prelims
2000

Convergent
Plate Boundary
O-O

O-O convergence

Island Arc

Islands in S E
Asia
Indo- Austral
plate and
Eurasian plate
movement
Volcano + EQ

Q. Explain the
formation of thousands
of islands in Indonesia
and Philippines
archipelago? (10)

Questio
n
UPSC
Mains
2014

Islands of South East Asia

Islands of Indian Ocean

Convergent
Plate Boundary
O-O

O-C convergence

Volcanic Mountains

EX.
Andes ,
Rockies,
Atlas
mountain
From Andes
=>
andesitic
rocks
Volcano +
EQ

Andes mountain range

Location near Andes

Atacama desert
Bolivian plateau
Lake Titicaca
Mt. Aconcagua (highest peak)
Mt. Cotopaxi
Mt. Chimbrazo
Lake Maracaibo

Rockies mountain range

Grand canyon Colorado river

Locations near Rockies

Columbia -snake plateau

Grand canyon /Colorado plateau
Death valley
Great salt lake
Mt.Logan (highest peak of rockies)
Mt. Mckinley (highest peak of N.
America) in Alaskan range

Questio
Q. Where is the volcanic
n
mountain. Mount. St.
UPSC
Helens is located?
a) Chile
b) Japan
c) Philippines
d) USA
Ans. D)

Prelims
2005

Q. why are the worlds

fold mountain systems
located along the
margins of continents?
Bring out the
association between
global distribution of
fold -mountains and
earthquakes and
volcanoes (10)

Questio
n
UPSC
Mains
2014

Convergent
Plate Boundary
O-O

C-C convergence

Continental Mountains

Not located
on coast
No volcanism
But powerful
EQ
Ex.
Himalayas,
Alps, Urals

Himalayan formation
2. C-C convergence
1. O-C convergence

Karakoram range

Alps mountain range

Physical map of Europe

Bosporus strait

Cities of Europe

City
Paris
Frankfurt
Venice
Vienna,
Budapest,
Belgrade
Kiev
Berlin

River
Seine
Rhine
Po
Danube

Dniester
Elbe

Locations near Alps

Rivers: Rhone, Danube and Po

Black forest mountains
mountains: Pyrenees, Apennines
Islands of Mediterranean sea:
Balearic, Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily,
Malta, Cyprus
Straits: Bonifacio, Messina, Marmara
Sea: Tyrrhenian, Adriatic, Ionian and
Aegean

Transform Boundary
When two plates
slip pass-off each
other
No mountains but
seismic activity
San Andreas fault
in California, USA

San Andreas fault

San Andreas fault,
USA
Plate movement

Meteorite Impact theory

Early atmosphere
thin layer of H, He
Numerous
meteorites attack
on earth
Break the surface
Underlying lava
eruption
First oceanic crust
formed

Continental drift

3 Theories

Q. Between India and

East Asia, the
navigation time and
distance can be greatly
reduced by which of the
following?
a) Deepening Malacca
strait between
Indonesia and
Malaysia

Questio
n
UPSC
Prelims
2011

Landforms on earth

Types of mountains

Fold mountains

Mountains created
due to convergent
boundaries of both
1) O-C (Rockies, Andes)
2) C-C (Himalayas,
Alps)
Compressive forces of
plates
)Youngest mountains
on earth

Geomor
ph
Fold
mountai
ns

Characteristics of Fold mountains

1)Extensive mountain chain
3) Great heights
4) Formed along unstable parts of the
earth
5) Sedimentary deposits of marine
origin (C-C)

Phases of mountain building

Pull of
descending limb
of convection
current
great pressure
of compressive
force exerted by
the convection
cells

Geo-syncline

Elongated, narrow
depression on
continental
margins
Here sediments
from both land
and ocean
accumulate
Under intense
pressure,
sediments of geosyncline folded

C-C collision
Sediments from
continental
crusts of both
plates + geosyncline folded
Because of
sediments of
geo-syncline
marine origin

Fold mountains of the world

List of mountains to locate

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)

Alaska range
Rockies
Andes
Atlas mountains
Pyrenees
Caucasus
Taurus
Elburz and
Zagros

9) Hindukush
10) Kirthar range
11) Kunlun Shan
12) Urals mountains
13) Appalachian
mountains
14) Great Dividing
Range

Importance of mountain building

process
understanding of the origin and
evolution of earths crust.
At the time of the formation of the
earth crust, first basaltic crust of ocean
- breaking and melting - a lighter
continental crust developed.
collide with one another = a larger
land mass.
The joints = fold-mountains.

Types of mountains

Block mountains formation

Block mountains formation

Block mountains
Fault-block mt.
Due to forces within
interior of the earth
Uplifted part = horst
depressed part =
Grabben
Horst => block
mountains
Grabben => rift
valley

Example of block mountains

India
Europe

 Raised land
during
Plateaus
mountains
building
Meaning:
process
Table land,

Eroded
upland,
mountains
higher than

Eroded
due
surrounding
to glaciers
areas
Deposition
from lava,

Types of plateau
Continental plateau
Intermontane plateau

Bolivia plateau
Tibetan plateau
Columbia plateau
Colorado plateau
Anatolia Plateau
(Turkey)

Deccan plateau
Katanga plateau
Ozark plateau
(USA)
Ethiopian
highland

Lava
Types
of
Plateau
plateau
Glacial
Columbiaplateau
snake
plateau
Grahwal
(USA)
plateau

Deccan
Laurentian
Plateau
plateau

Shan
(Canada)
plateau

Katanga Plateau
Origin of River
Congo and
Zambezi
Dense equatorial
forest
Known for
resources
- Gold, diamonds,
Copper

Batholith
Granite
Less mobile,
cannot
move
upward
Backbone of
fold
mountains

Plains
Meaning
Flat areas with low
heights
Best for human
habitation
Most populated
areas of the world
alluvial plains of
rivers

Depositional plains
- Rivers
- Sea (sub-merged
coast)
Erosional plains
- Erosion of plateau

Important river basins of the world

Asia

Eur Afri Sout North

ope ca h
America
Ame
rica

Indus

Amaz Mississippi
on
Missouri
Paran Colorado
aParag
uay
Rhon Niger
St. Lawrence
e
Po
Zam
Yukon
bezi

Danu Nile
be
Ganga
Rhine Cong
Brahmaputra
o

Yangtze
(China)
Hwang He
(China)

Yangtze river, China

Important locations

Navigable river 35% of Chinas population

Sichuan basin rice cultivation
Shanghai biggest port of China
Wuhan Iron and steel
Nanjing textile, iron and steel
Chengdu oil and gas
Three gorge dam
Yun ho canal connect Yangtze with Hwang
He

Euphrates- Tigris river, Iraq

Locations near Euphrates-Tigris

Lake Van,
Lake Urmia
Important centers in Iraq:
Baghdad, Mosul, Kirkuk, Al Basra

Amazon river, Brazil

Locations near Amazon river

Largest, 2nd longest river

Selvas equatorial rain forest
Tin, rubber in Selvas
Sertao ranching region
Petroleum reserve at the mouth
Manaus Iron ore, navigable
plateau of Mato Grasso gold
reserve

Mississippi , USA

Locations near Mississippi basin

Temperate grasslands Prairies

Wheat, corn and cotton cultivation
Important cites:
Kansas agriculture
St. Pittsburg iron and steel
New Orleans port, ship building

Murray-Darling basin, Australia

Location near Murray-darling basin

Temperate grassland downs

Wheat cultivation
Sheep rearing ,Animal husbandry
Wool and dairy production

Continental drift theory

-> sea-floor spreading
theory -> plate tectonic
theory
Landforms on earth
Mountains (fold and
block)
Plateaus
Plains