Question map
If you want to observe moraines, eskers and outwash plains, which one of the following Union Territories you may have to visit?
Explanation
Moraines, eskers, and outwash plains are characteristic glacial landforms formed through the erosional and depositional activities of glaciers [2]. Moraines consist of rock debris like gravel and sand carried and deposited by ice, categorized as ground, lateral, medial, or terminal depending on their position [2]. Eskers are long, winding ridges of glacio-fluvial deposits, while outwash plains are formed by meltwater streams at the glacier's margin [1]. In India, these features are found in high-altitude regions that experienced Pleistocene glaciation, specifically the Karakoram and Greater Himalayan ranges. Ladakh, located in the Trans-Himalayan region, contains extensive evidence of such landforms, including the Drang Drung and Rongdo basin glaciers [2]. In contrast, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep are of volcanic/tectonic and coral origin respectively, lacking glacial activity [3].
Sources
- [1] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 6: Landforms of Glaciation > Landforms of Glaciated Lowlands > p. 64
- [2] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 17: Major Landforms and Cycle of Erosion > Moraine > p. 233
- [3] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 2: Physiography > 3. The Pleistocene Ice Age > p. 28