Mountains & Plateaus — Set 3

Correct Answer: B. Mount Everest

• **Mount Everest** = Earth's highest mountain above sea level at 8,848.86 metres, located in the Himalayas on the Nepal-China border. • **8,848.86 m** — this official height was updated in 2020 by a joint Nepal-China survey; it was first summited by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on 29 May 1953. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Kangchenjunga: the world's third-highest peak at 8,586 m, on the India-Nepal border; Mount Godwin-Austen (K2): the world's second-highest peak at 8,611 m, in the Karakoram range on the Pakistan-China border; Lhotse: the world's fourth-highest peak at 8,516 m, adjacent to Everest in the Himalayas.

Correct Answer: D. Mid-Atlantic Ridge

• **Mid-Atlantic Ridge** = the world's longest mountain range, an underwater mountain system running roughly down the centre of the Atlantic Ocean. • **Over 16,000 km long** — it is part of the global mid-ocean ridge system totalling ~65,000 km; formed by sea-floor spreading where the North and South American plates separate from the Eurasian and African plates. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Andes: the world's longest continental (above-ground) mountain range in South America at ~7,000 km; Himalayas: the world's highest mountain range on land, containing the highest peaks; Marianas Trench: the world's deepest oceanic trench (not a mountain range) in the western Pacific Ocean.

Correct Answer: B. Aravalli Range

• **Aravalli Range** = one of the world's oldest fold mountain systems, dating back to the Proterozoic era (over 1,500 million years old), running through Rajasthan and Gujarat. • **Heavily eroded into residual hills** — once as high as the Himalayas, centuries of erosion have reduced the Aravallis to low hills; the highest point is Guru Shikhar at 1,722 m in Mount Abu, Rajasthan. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Himalayas: the youngest major mountain range in India, formed about 50 million years ago; Western Ghats: a north-south range along India's west coast, not the oldest; Satpura Range: a block mountain range in central India, much younger than the Aravallis.

Correct Answer: B. Basalt

• **Basalt** = the primary rock of the Deccan Plateau, formed by massive volcanic eruptions about 65 million years ago known as the Deccan Traps. • **Deccan Traps cover ~500,000 sq km** — the weathering of this basalt creates fertile black cotton soil (Regur soil) ideal for growing cotton; the plateau covers most of peninsular India. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Sandstone: common in the Vindhya Range and other sedimentary formations but not the primary Deccan rock; Marble: a metamorphic rock found in parts of Rajasthan (e.g., Makrana), not the Deccan Plateau; Limestone: found in the Indo-Gangetic plains and Vindhya region, not primary in the Deccan Plateau.

Correct Answer: A. Rocky Mountains

• **Rocky Mountains** = the major mountain system of western North America, stretching over 4,800 km from British Columbia (Canada) to New Mexico (USA). • **Form the Continental Divide** — precipitation falling on the east side flows to the Atlantic/Gulf; on the west side it flows to the Pacific; the highest peak is Mount Elbert at 4,399 m in Colorado. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Atlas Mountains: located in north-western Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia); Caucasus: located between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea in Eurasia; Pyrenees: forms the France-Spain border in Europe.

Correct Answer: C. Several mountain ranges converge there

• **Pamir Knot** = a mountainous region in Central Asia, primarily in Tajikistan, where several major ranges — Himalayas, Karakoram, Hindu Kush, Tian Shan, and Kunlun — converge. • **Often called the geographical centre of Asia** — the Pamirs are among the world's highest plateaus with peaks over 7,000 m; the highest point is Ismoil Somoni Peak at 7,495 m. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: A massive volcanic crater: the Pamirs are fold mountains, not volcanic; a volcanic crater would be a caldera; It is the source of the Nile: the Nile originates in East Africa, from Lake Victoria and Ethiopian Highlands; It is the deepest point on Earth: the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean is Earth's deepest point.

Correct Answer: C. Ethiopia

• **Ethiopian Highlands** = a rugged mountain mass in Ethiopia (Horn of Africa), sometimes called the 'Roof of Africa' due to its high elevation. • **Source of the Blue Nile** — Lake Tana in the Ethiopian Highlands is the source of the Blue Nile, which joins the White Nile at Khartoum, Sudan to form the main Nile River. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Kenya: Kenya has Mount Kenya (a volcanic peak) and the Kenyan Highlands, not the Ethiopian Highlands; Sudan: Sudan lies to the north-west of the Ethiopian Highlands and is largely lowland; Egypt: Egypt is mostly desert with the Nile valley, not the location of the Ethiopian Highlands.

Correct Answer: B. Volcanic Plateau

• **Volcanic Plateau** = formed by successive lava flows that solidify over time to create extensive flat elevated land. • **Deccan Plateau and Columbia Plateau are prime examples** — both were formed by vast outpourings of lava; volcanic plateaus are often mineral-rich and have fertile soils from basalt weathering. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Piedmont Plateau: a plateau formed at the foot of a mountain range (e.g., Piedmont Plateau at the base of the Appalachians in eastern USA); Intermontane Plateau: a plateau surrounded or enclosed by mountain ranges (e.g., Tibetan Plateau, Bolivian Altiplano); Dissected Plateau: an old plateau cut into hills and valleys by rivers over time (e.g., Chota Nagpur Plateau).

Correct Answer: B. North America

• **Mount Denali** = the highest peak in North America at 6,190 metres above sea level, located in Alaska, USA, formerly known as Mount McKinley. • **Renamed to Denali in 2015** — 'Denali' is the indigenous Athabascan name meaning 'The High One'; it is the centrepiece of Denali National Park and Preserve. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Africa: Africa's highest peak is Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania at 5,895 m; South America: South America's highest peak is Mount Aconcagua in Argentina at 6,961 m; Europe: Europe's highest peak is Mount Elbrus in Russia at 5,642 m.

Correct Answer: D. Caucasus Mountains

• **Caucasus Mountains** = a mountain range stretching between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, often considered part of the Europe-Asia boundary. • **Mount Elbrus (5,642 m) is located here** — Elbrus is the highest peak in Europe and a dormant volcano; the Caucasus range passes through Russia, Georgia, and Armenia. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Alps: located in central Europe, passing through France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, and other countries; Himalayas: located in South Asia forming the northern boundary of the Indian subcontinent; Urals: run north-south through western Russia, also considered a Europe-Asia boundary but much further east.