The Northern Mountains
Purvanchal
All the hills of the north east of India beyond Brahmaputra gorge. -- Average height lies between 500 m to 3,000 m. -- Southern Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, and Meghalaya. -- Mishmi, Patkai Bum, Naga hills in the north, Mizo hills in the south and Garo, Khasi and Jaintia hills in the central part.
The Siwalik Range
Also known as the Outer Himalayas. -- Southern most range -- Much younger than the Himadri and the Himachal ranges. -- Least consolidated of the three ranges. -- Landslides are common -- Formed through the deposits of sediments (gravel, mud, sand) brought in by rivers from originating in Himadri and Himachal. These sediments were deposited in the rapidly shrinking Tethys Sea. Over time the Earth movements caused folding of these deposits. -- Average height is about 600 m above sea level. -- Broad valleys (known as duns) lie between Himachal and Siwalik. Dehradun is one example.
The Northern Mountains
Begin from Pamir Knot - The Trans Himalayan range - The Himalayan - The Purvanchal range
The Trans Himalayas
Included in the Himadri range by some scientists -- Immediately to the north of the Himadri range -- Zanskar Ladakh, Karakoram and Kailash are the main ranges -- Karakoram range lies between the Pamir knot and river Indus, extends eastwards for about 800 km. -- Second highest peak in the world Mt. Godwin Austin or K2 (8611 km) and highest in India lies in the Karakoram range. -- Ladakh and Zanskar ranges lie towards the south of Karakoram. -- River Indus flows between Zanskar and Ladakh ranges -- Home to Baltoro and Siachin glaciers
Pamir Knot
Known as 'roof of the world' due to its great height. -- Mountain range in Central Asia -- Formed by a junction of Himalayas, Tsan Shan, Karakoram, and Hindukush ranges
The Himalayan Mountain Range
This is the highest mountain range in the world -- Young fold mountains -- Extent - arch shaped, runs from west to east for about 2,500 km. -- India boundaries - Indus gorge in Jammu and Kashmir in the west and Brahmaputra gorge in the Arunachal Pradesh in the east. -- Area covered: about 5 lakh sq. km -- Three major ranges separated by deep valleys and plateaus. -- In the east the Himalayas rise abruptly hence two (Mt. Everest, Kanchenjunga) of the highest peaks are not very far from the plains. -- In the west the Himalayas rise gradually hence the high peaks are far from the plains. -- Three parallel ranges - Himadri, Himachal and siwalik
The Himadri Range
Also known as the Greater Himalayas -- Northern most and highest range -- Only range which maintains its continuity from west to east. -- Core is made up of granite rocks, bordered by sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. -- Average height is 6100 km above sea level. -- World's highest peak - Mt. Everest (8,848 m) -- Highest peak in Indian Himalayas - Kanchenjunga ( 8.586 m) -- Other peaks with height of over 8,000 m Annapurna, Daulagiri, Makalu.... -- Snow covered throughout the year -- Home to a number of glaciers which feed rivers of the northern plains (Gangotri and Yamnotri galciers) -- Bramahputra, Ganga, Yamuna, Indus, Ravi and Sutlej are rivers fed by Himalayan glaciers
The Himachal Range
Also known as the Lesser or the Middle Himalayas -- Can be crossed through passes such as Zojila, Nathula, Shipkila and Niti, -- To the south of Himadri -- Highly dissected and uneven range -- Mainly metamorphic rocks -- Breadth ranges from 60 to 80 km; height between 1000 m to 4500 m, however some peaks are over 5000 m -- East facing and north facing slopes are covered with dense vegetation, south facing slopes are primarily barren -- Local names of ranges - Pir Panjal in Kashmir and Dauladhar. Kullu and Kangra Ranges in Himachal -- Kashmir extends between Pir Panjal and Himadri -- The JK highway connecting JK with the rest of India is passes through Banihal pass in the Pir Panjal -- Most hill town located in this range - Shimla, Darjeeling, Mussorie, Nainital, Almora, etv -- Home to many beautiful lakes.