1. Factors Controlling Landform Development
Case Study 1: Himalayas vs. Western Ghats – Contrasting Controls
- Theory: Davis’ Geomorphic Cycle, Plate Tectonics
- Data: Himalayas—tectonic uplift (6–10 mm/year); Western Ghats—denudation dominant
- Temporal Variation: 50 million years vs. 160 million years old
- Perspective: Structural vs. Climatic geomorphology (L.C. King)
- Source: Geological Survey of India (2023), DownToEarth
- Insight: Structural controls dominate Himalayas; Western Ghats show polycyclic landform development under climatic and lithologic influences.
Case Study 2: Chambal Badlands – Anthropogenic and Natural Factors
- Theory: Exogenetic force interaction, Slope Replacement (Penck)
- Model: Fluvial Erosion Models
- Data: 13,000 sq km severely degraded land (MoEFCC, 2023)
- Temporal: Intensified post-1960s due to deforestation and ravine farming
- Source: Yojana (Jan 2024), National Remote Sensing Centre
- Insight: Landforms here evolve due to both natural slope wash and human mismanagement (e.g., overgrazing, sand mining).
