THE EARTH AND THE CHANGES ON IT
Class – 7 GEOGRAPHY (LESSON-2) NOTES
D. Answer the following questions in brief.
Q1.Specify two differences between internal and external process.
Answer: INTERNAL PROCESS
a)These changes originate inside the earth.
b)They are sudden and clearly visible.
c) Ex: volcanic erruption, occurrence of an earthquake.
EXTERNAL PROCESS
a)These changes take place on the earth’s surface.
b)They are slow and take place gradually over a very long period of
time.
c)Ex: formation of soil, change in the Course of a river.
Q2. Name the various agents of gradation.
Answer: The various agents of gradation are:
*Running water *Glacier *Wind *Sea waves
Q3. Distinguish between transported soil and residual soil.
Answer: Transported soil
a)When the weathering process breaks the rocks into small particles,
then these particles are carried away by water, wind etc. and gets
deposited at a new place. Such type of soil is known as transported
soil.
Residual soil
a)When the soil is formed by the of a parent rock and remains present
at the same place, it is called as the residual soil.
Q4.How is a delta formed?
Answer: a) A delta is formed at the mouth of a river when it comes to
it's old stage.
b)Before meeting the sea the river deposits large amount of sand and
sediments which helps in the formation of a delta.
c)Ex : The delta of Ganga and Brahmaputra is the largest delta in the
world.
Q5. Why is humus formed more rapidly in humid areas?
Answer: Humus is formed more rapidly in humid areas due to heavy
growth of plants and rich animal life.
E. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
Q1. Explain weathering. Mention the factors that affect the rate of
weathering and soil erosion.
Answer: The term 'weathering' refers to the process that breaks
rocks into smaller particles. The rate of weathering and soil
erosion depends upon:
* the temperature of a place
* vegetation cover
* rainfall
* slope of the land
* type of soil
* changes in the land use.
Q2. Explain the formation of soil with the help of a labelled diagram.
Answer: a) The formation of soil is a very slow process and takes
thousands of years to form a thin layer of soil.
b) It starts developing in layers one over the other. These layers are
called 'horizons'.
c) From bottom to top, the lowest horizon is called ‘bedrock', then
comes the horizon of ‘weathered rocks'.
d) Then it is followed by the 'sub soil' and 'topsoil'.
e) The topmost horizon is rich in humus which is very fertile and useful
for cultivation.
Draw diagram of soil layers pageno.11 from Textbook.
Q3. What are the major soil types of India? Give one important
characteristic of each.
Answer: There are four major types of soil found in India. They are:
a) Alluvial soil: It is mainly formed by the deposition of sediments
carried by river. This type of soil is very fertile and forms major
agricultural land of our country.
b) Black soil: This soil has the ability to retain moisture and become
sticky when wet. This soil is largely used for growing cotton and
thus, popularly known as 'cotton soil'.
c) Red soil : This soil is red in colour due to the presence of iron
particles. It is highly porous, fine grained and deep and found in
peninsular India.
d) Laterite soil : This soil is found over the hill slopes of peninsular
plateau and found in the regions of heavy rainfall. It is formed by the
leaching process.
Q4. Describe the journey of a river from its source to its mouth.
Answer: a) A river, like any living form, has a ‘ ‘lifecycle'. It takes birth
in a mountain or a hill, flows over plains and finally ends when it
reaches the sea.
b) In its early stage, the river is young. It flows over steep mountains
and forms striking youthful features like 'I' shaped and 'V' shaped
valleys, waterfalls etc.
c) As the river enters into the plains, it comes to the stage of
maturity. The river flows through 'meanders', during the middle stage.
d) Before meeting the sea, the river becomes large and sluggish and
gets divided into several distributaries. It now comes to it's old stage.
e) The river deposits silt, sand and sediments over a large area near
its mouth. This large deposition helps in the formation of a 'delta'. Ex:
The delta of Ganga and Brahmaputra.
Q5. Why is conservation of soil important? Suggest three different
ways of soil conservation.
Answer: Soil conservation is important to maintain the ecological
balance of the environment.
The three different ways of soil conservation are:
* Plantation of trees
* selective agricultural practices like crop rotation and multiple
cropping method.
* development and management of pasture land.
MAPSKILLS:
Locate and label the areas of major soil types of India on the given
political map of India.
1. Alluvial soil - Punjab, Haryana
2. Black or Cotton soil - Gujarat, Maharashtra
3. Red soil - Telangana, Jharkhand
4. Laterite soil - Assam, Odisha
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