UPSSSC PET · Bite-size lessons
Mountains & Glaciers
About 7 min · Geography · English
Time worked out from the lesson's 524 words at 150 words a minute, plus a minute for each question.
Mountains and glaciers form a critical component of physical geography in the UPSSSC PET syllabus. This topic tests your understanding of India's diverse mountain systems—particularly the Himalayas and peninsular ranges—alongside major world mountain ranges and significant glaciers globally. Questions typically focus on location, formation processes, highest peaks, associated glaciers, and their geographical significance.
Key ideas
- Fold Mountains vs Block Mountains: Fold mountains (Himalayas, Rockies, Andes, Alps) form from tectonic plate collision causing sediment folding; they are young, tall, and seismically active. Block mountains (Satpura, Vindhyas) are remnants of ancient ranges, formed by faulting and erosion; they are low, stable, and composed of hard crystalline rocks.
- Himalayan Divisions: The Himalayas divide into three parallel ranges—Greater Himalayas (Himadri, continuous, snowbound, 6000m+ peaks), Lesser Himalayas (Himachal, 3700–4500m, includes hill stations like Shimla, Mussoorie), and Outer Himalayas (Shiwaliks, 900–1100m, foothill range with duns/valleys).
- Regional Himalayan Sections: From west to east—Punjab/Kashmir Himalayas, Kumaon Himalayas, Nepal Himalayas, Assam/Eastern Himalayas. Each section has distinct geological and climatic features.
- Peninsular Ranges: Western Ghats (Sahyadris) run parallel to west coast, 1600km long, higher in south (Anaimudi 2695m); Eastern Ghats are discontinuous, lower, cut by rivers; Aravalli (oldest fold mountains in India, now highly eroded); Vindhyas and Satpuras form central highlands separating north and south India.
- Glaciers: Rivers of ice formed from compacted snow in high mountains. Glaciers erode valleys (U-shaped), transport debris (moraines), and are freshwater reservoirs. Retreating glaciers indicate climate change.
Watch out for
- Confusing Eastern and Western Ghats: Students often mix their characteristics. Wrong: Thinking Western Ghats are discontinuous. Correct: Western Ghats are continuous and higher; Eastern Ghats are discontinuous and cut by rivers.
- K2 as India's Highest Peak: K2 (8611m) lies in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, not Indian territory. Wrong: Claiming K2 as India's highest. Correct: Kanchenjunga (8586m) in Sikkim is India's highest peak.
- Mixing Himalayan Divisions: Students confuse Greater with Lesser Himalayas. Wrong: Placing hill stations like Shimla in Greater Himalayas. Correct: Shimla, Mussoorie, Nainital are in Lesser Himalayas (Himachal range); Greater Himalayas are permanently snowbound with peaks above 6000m.
Quick reference
- Himalayan Trinity: Himadri (Greater, 6000m+) > Himachal (Lesser, 3700–4500m) > Shiwalik (Outer, 900–1100m).
- India's Highest: Kanchenjunga (8586m, Sikkim); World's Highest: Everest (8849m, Nepal-Tibet).
- Longest Ranges: Andes (7000km) > Rockies (4800km) > Himalayas (2400km).
- Key Peninsular Peaks: Anaimudi (2695m, Western Ghats) highest in South India; Guru Shikhar (1722m, Aravalli).
- Major Indian Glaciers: Siachen (76km, Ladakh) > Gangotri (30km, Uttarakhand) > Zemu (26km, Sikkim).
Check yourself: 3 questions
1. Which one of the following mountain ranges is NOT part of the Himalayan system?
2. The Siachen Glacier, one of the largest glaciers outside the polar regions, is located in which mountain range?
3. Which of the following statements about the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats is correct? 1. The Western Ghats are older than the Himalayas. 2. The Eastern Ghats are continuous and higher than the Western Ghats. 3. The highest peak in peninsular India is Anamudi in the Western Ghats. 4. Both Ghats meet at the Nilgiri Hills. Select the correct answer:
This lesson is cut from the topic's note, not rewritten. Fact-checked on 17 Oct 2026: an AI-assisted check of this note against cited sources; the errors it found were corrected that day. Some errors may remain. The questions are from Shishya's validated question bank.
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