Plains

Any flat area, large or small, at a low elevation; specified by an extensive region of
comparatively smooth and level or gently undulating land, having few or no prominent
surface irregularities but sometimes having a considerable slope, and usually at a low
elevation with reference to surrounding areas.

A plain may be either forested or bare of trees, and may be formed either by endogenic
and/or exogenic processes.
 Characteristic Features:
Plains are the simplest relief features and this is flat area with low elevation.

It is noted that plains may be above or below the sea-level but they cannot be

higher than the surrounding regions.

The plains are generally characterized by almost flat surface but it also becomes

undulating because of erosion.

Plains are also dominated by level to gentle slopes.

The plain which is generated by the endogenic processes is grouped in the second

order and those which are generated by exogenic processes are grouped in the third

order.
Origin and Development of Plains
1. Most of the plains have been originated due to upliftment through diastrophic movements
e.g. great plains province of the U.S.A.

2. Plains are formed due to filling of depressions (fore deep) with sediments, which are
created in front of the mountains during the process of orogenesis.

This fore deep is filled with sediments in due course of time and ultimately a broad and
extensive depositional plain is formed.

The northern plains or the Ganga plains of India are typical examples of such plains.

3. Some times the middle part of the geosynclines remains unfolded after the formation of
bordering range on both the margins of the geosynclines.

Such area unaffected by folding activities, very often known as median mass, becomes plains.

It may be pointed out that not all the median mass becomes plains; rather most of them
become plateau. A median mass becomes plain only when it is characterized by flat surface
and comparatively lower height e.g. Hungarian plain.
4. Some times, coastal lands are submerged under sea water because of transgressional
phase of sea. Such coastal lands submerged under shallow water receive sediments
regularly and after long time of continuous sedimentation narrow coastal plains are formed
e.g. coastal plains of India.

5. Submerged coastal lands emerge as marine coastal plains due to withdrawal of sea water
during regressional phase of sea. The Kutch plain of India is the example of such plains.

6. Extensive plateau after prolonged denudation become plains.

7. Deposition of enormous volume of lavas over extensive area gives birth to lava or
volcanic plains.
Classification of Plains
1. On the basis of morphological and structural
characteristics:

(i) Flat plains- (Relief is not more than 15m)

(ii) Undulating plains- (15-50m)
(iii) Rolling plains- (50- 75m)
(iv) Dissected plains- (75- 100m)
2. On the basis of origin:
A. Plains formed due to diastrophic forces
(i) formed due to upliftment e.g. coastal plains
(ii) formed due to subsidence and sedimentation e.g.
Coastal plains
(iii) lava plains or volcanic plains
B. Plains formed due to denudation processes
(a) Erosional plains:
(i) peneplains (humid region)
(ii) glacio-fluvial plains
(iii) pediplains (arid/semi-arid) 5a
(iv) desert plains
(v) karst plains

3
4
5b
 (b) Depositional plains:
(i) River depositional plain
(ii) Piedmont alluvial plain (In India-
Bhabar plain)
(iii) Flood plain (Khadar plain & Bangar
1 plain)
(ii) Glacio-depositional plains (Till
plain, Moranic plain and outwash plain)
(iii) Aeolian depositional plains (Sandy
plain and Loess plain)
(iv) marine depositional plains

3
3. On the basis of location

(i) Inland plains

(ii) Coastal plains
INDO-GANGETIC PLAIN
GANGA PLAIN
 The Ganga Plain

The Ganga plain has been divided into three soil-geomorphic units:
I) The old Ganga plain
II) The young Ganga plain
III) The Ganga flood plain.

The first two are elevated and third one is slightly entrenched in nature. The first two are
marked by the palaeo-channels of the Ganga.

The northwest extension of these palaeochannels meet the active channel of the Ganga at
Haridwar, where Ganga enters into plain.

The old Ganga plain has heavy loamy soil whereas the new Ganga plain has sandy soil.
Wind action has reworked the alluvial soil of the young Ganga plain into sand mounds upto
three metre in height.
The Ganga plain can be further classified into four categories as Bhabhar belt, Terrain belt
which belong to Old & Young Ganga plain while Bangar belt and Khadar belt confined to
the Ganga flood plain.

Bhabhar Belt
 This belt belongs to piedmont zone running, parallel from west to east along the Shivalik
foot-hills.

 It comprises of sand, clay, pebbles and even the boulders, which carried downward by
the river streams.

 These streams become underground in this belt because of the high porosity of the
sediments.

 The soil of this belt is unfit for cultivation purposes as it is highly porous and due to
continuous eroding by the fast moving streams.
 Terrain Belt
 This belt is present next to the Bhabhar belt and runs parallel to the Bhabhar
belt and have gentle slope.

 It covers the northern boundary of Indo-Gangetic plain.

 The streams reappears in this belt and deposit fine silt, sand and clay.

 It is composed of almost level and fertile soil.

 This region is rich in new alluvial soil and thickly forested.

 It is inhabited by different species of wild animals.

 This region receives good rain fall.

Bangar Belt:
 The Bangar belt is uplifted area in interfluves zone above the flood plain.

 It is composed of older alluvium, which forms the terrace of the flood plains of the
rivers.

 The formation of concretion occurs in the Bangar belt.

Khadar Belt:
The Khadar belt lies downward to the Bangar belt and comprise deposit of clay, fine silt and
sand particles, which is renewed by the recurrent flood in the streams regularly.
UPPER GANGA PLAIN

MIDDLE GANGA PLAIN

LOWER GANGA
PLAIN
 THE GANGA PLAIN
I) Upper Ganga Plain: It lies between Yamuna valley in the west and 100m
contour in the east, covering an area of 149029 sq.km.
a) Ganga- Ghaghara doab region
b) Ganga- Yamuna doab region
c) Yamunapar in the ravine tract

ii) Middle Ganga Plain: Area- 144409sqkm., spread over eastern U.P. and
Bihar.
a) North Ganga Plain:
i) Saryupar plain (Ghaghra- Gandak doab)
ii) Mithila plain (Gandak- Kosi interfluves) and
iii) Kosi plain (Kosi- Mahananda interfluves)
b) South Ganga Plain:
i) Ganga- Son interfluves
ii) Magadha plain (east of Son river)
iii) Anga plain (Ganga-Kiul interfluves)
2. Lower Ganga Plain:
It include the Kishanganj of Purniya district of Bihar, whole W.B.

(except Purlia district and mountainous part of Darjeeling district) and

southern part of Bangladesh.

Area- 80968sqkm.

The plain is bounded by the Ganga and Brahmaputra river and characterized

by the delta.

-Higher part of the delta is called – Char

-And lower part of the delta is called- Beels in West Bengal.