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  • Indian Desert – Geography Notes – For W.B.C.S. Examination.
    Posted on October 30th, 2019 in Geography
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    Indian Desert – Geography Notes – For W.B.C.S. Examination.

    ভারতীয় মরুভূমি – ভূগোল নোট – WBCS পরীক্ষা।

    Thar Desert, also called Great Indian Desert, arid region of rolling sand hills on the Indian subcontinent. It is located partly in Rajasthan state, northwestern India, and partly in Punjab and Sindh (Sind) provinces, eastern Pakistan.Continue Reading Indian Desert – Geography Notes – For W.B.C.S. Examination.

    The Thar Desert covers some 77,000 square miles (200,000 square km) of territory. It is bordered by the irrigated Indus River plain to the west, the Punjab Plain to the north and northeast, the Aravalli Range to the southeast, and the Rann of Kachchh to the south. The subtropical desert climate there results from persistent high pressure and subsidence at that latitude. The prevailing southwest monsoon winds that bring rain to much of the subcontinent in summer tend to bypass the Thar to the east. The name Thar is derived from thul, the general term for the region’s sand ridges.

    Land

    The Thar’s desert sands overlie Archean (early Precambrian) gneiss (metamorphic rocks formed between 4 billion and 2.5 billion years ago), Proterozoic (later Precambrian) sedimentary rocks (formed about 2.5 billion to 541 million years ago), and more-recent alluvium (material deposited by rivers). The surface consists of aeolian (wind-deposited) sand that has accumulated over the past 1.8 million years.The desert presents an undulating surface, with high and low sand dunes separated by sandy plains and low barren hills, or bhakars, which rise abruptly from the surrounding plains. The dunes are in continual motion and take on varying shapes and sizes. Older dunes, however, are in a semi-stabilized or stabilized condition, and many rise to a height of almost 500 feet (150 metres) above the surrounding areas. Several playas (saline lake beds), locally known as dhands, are scattered throughout the region.

    The soils consist of several main groups—desert soils, red desertic soils, sierozems (brownish gray soils), the red and yellow soils of the foothills, the saline soils of the depressions, and the lithosols (shallow weathered soils) and regosols (soft loose soils) found in the hills. All those soils are predominantly coarse-textured, well-drained, and calcareous (calcium-bearing). A thick accumulation of lime often occurs at varying depths. The soils are generally infertile and, because of severe wind erosion, are overblown with sand.

    The amount of annual rainfall in the desert is generally low, ranging from about 4 inches (100 mm) or less in the west to about 20 inches (500 mm) in the east. Precipitation amounts fluctuate widely from year to year. About 90 percent of the total annual rainfall occurs during the season of the southwest monsoon, from July to September (see also Indian monsoon). During other seasons the prevailing wind is the dry northeast monsoon. May and June are the hottest months of the year, with temperatures rising to 122 °F (50 °C). During January, the coldest month, the mean minimum temperature ranges between 41 and 50 °F (5 and 10 °C), and frost is frequent. Dust storms and dust-raising winds, often blowing with velocities of 87 to 93 miles (140 to 150 km) per hour, are common in May and June.

    The desert vegetation is mostly herbaceous or stunted scrub; drought-resistant trees occasionally dot the landscape, especially in the east. On the hills, gum arabic acacia and euphorbia may be found. The khajri (or khejri) tree (Prosopis cineraria) grows throughout the plains.The thinly populated grasslands support blackbucks, chikara (gazelles), and some feathered game, notably francolins (partridges) and quail. Among the migratory birds, sand grouse, ducks, and geese are common. The desert is also the home of the endangered great bustard.

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