Important Hill Ranges of India – UPSC

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In this article, You will read Important Hill Ranges of India – for UPSC IAS.

Important Hill Ranges of India

Aravalli hills
Vindhyan range
Satpura range
Western Ghat
Eastern Ghat
Aravalli hills

They originate in Gujarat (at Palanpur) and extend till Haryana. They terminate in the
Delhi ridge.
They have a maximum extent of 800 km
They are old fold mountain ranges, one of the oldest tectonic mountains in the world.
 Rocks that make up the Aravallis are more than 2 billion years old.
Unlike other fold mountains, Aravallis have an average elevation in the range of 400-
600m only. This is because throughout their geological history they were subjected to
the processes of weathering and erosion.
Only a few peaks reach an elevation of above 1000m. These include – Mt. Gurushikhar
(1722m, the highest point of Aravallis), Mt.Abu (1158m, it’s part of a plateau).
Geologically, they are mainly made up of Dharwar igneous and metamorphic rocks.
They contain the largest marble deposits in India.
Rivers Banas, Luni, Sabarmati are born in Aravallis. Banas is a tributary of Chambal.
Luni is an ephemeral river that terminates in the Rann of Kutch.
They contain several passes that cut through them, especially between Udaipur and
Ajmer like Piplighat, Dewair, Desuri, etc.
They also contain several lakes such as Lake Sambhar (largest inland saline water
body in India), Lake Dhebar (south of Aravallis), Lake Jaisamand (in the Jaisamand
wildlife sanctuary), etc.

Vindhyan range

These are non-tectonic mountains, they were formed not because of plate collision but
because of the downward faulting of the Narmada Rift Valley (NRV) to their south.
They extend for 1200km from Bharuch in Gujarat to Sasaram in Bihar.
Geologically, they are younger than Aravallis and Satpura hills.
Their average height is in the range of 300-650m.
They are made up of older Proterozoic rocks. They are cut across by Kimberlite piles
(diamond deposits)
They are known by local names such as Panna, Kaimur, Rewa, etc.
They rise from the NRV in the form of steep, sharp slopes called the escarpments.
These escarpments are well developed in Kaimur and Panna regions.

Satpura range

Satpura range is a combination of Satpura, Mahadeo, and Maikala hills.

Satpura hills are tectonic mountains, formed about 1.6 billion years ago, as a result of
folding and structural uplift. They are a Horst landform.
They run for a distance of about 900km.
Mahadeo hills lie to the east of Satpura hills. Pachmarhi is the highest point of the
Satpura range. Dhupgarh (1350m) is the highest peak of Pachmarhi.
Maikala hills lie to the east of Mahadeo hills. Amarkantak plateau is a part of the
Maikala hills. It is about 1127m.
The plateau has the drainage systems of Narmada and Son, hence it has drainage into
the Bay of Bengal as well as the Arabian sea.
These are mostly situated in the States of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
These hills are rich in bauxite, due to the presence of Gondwana rocks.
 Dhuandhar waterfalls over the Narmada is situated in MP.

Read Here – Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats

Maikal Range Eastern part of the Satpuras range (MP)

Kaimur Range Eastern portion of the Vindhya Range in MP, UP & Bihar, Parallel to river
son

Mahadeo forms the central part of the Satpura Range, located in MP

Range Highest peak: Dhoopgarh

Ajanta Range Maharashtra, south of river Tapi, sheltering caves of  world famous
paintings of Gupta period

Rajmahal Hills In Jharkhand made up of lava basaltic rocks

Point of Ganges bifurcation

Garo Khasi Continuous mountain range in Meghalaya

Jaintia Hills

Mikir Hills a group of hills located to the south of the Kaziranga National Park
(Assam) a part of the Karbi Anglong Plateau

Abor Hills Hills of Arunachal Pradesh, near the border with China, bordered
by Mishmi and Miri Hills drained by Dibang River, a tributary of
the Brahmaputra

Mishmi Hills in Arunachal Pradesh with its northern & eastern parts touching  China

Situated at the junction of Northeastern Himalaya and Indo-Burma

ranges

Patkai Range Also known as Purvanchal Range, consist of three major hills The Patkai-
Bum, the Garo-Khasi-Jaintia, and Lushai Hills

situated on India’s north-eastern border with Burma

Mizo Hills part of the Patkai range in Mizoram and partially in Tripura
(Lushai Hills)

Dalma Hills Located in Jamshedpur, famous for Dalma national park & minerals like
iron ore & manganese.

Dhanjori Hills Jharkhand

Girnar Hills Gujrat

Baba Budan Karnataka

Giri
Harishchandra At Pune, acts as a water divide bw Godavari & Krishna

Hills made up of lava

Balaghat Bw MP & Maharashtra, famous for manganese deposits

range

Chilpi series MP

Talcher series Odisha, rich in bituminous coal

Champion Karnataka, Dharawar period, rich in gold (contains kolar mines)

series

Nilgiri Hills Referred as Blue mountains, a range of mountains in the westernmost

part of Tamil Nadu at the junction of Karnataka and Kerala Hills are
separated from the Karnataka plateau to the north by the Moyar River
and from the Anaimalai Hills & Palni Hills to the south by the Palghat Gap

Palani Hills The eastward extension of the Western Ghats ranges

adjoin the high Anamalai range on the west, and extend east into the
plains of Tamil Nadu

Anamalai Hills Also known as Elephant Hill, a range of mountains in the Western

Ghats in Tamil Nadu and Kerala with the highest peak Anamudi

Cardmom Part of the southern Western Ghats located in southeast Kerala and

Hills southwest Tamil Nadu

Pachamalai also known as the Pachais, The Eastern Ghats in Tamil Nadu
Hills

Parasnath Hill Parasnath is a mountain peak in the Parasnath Range. It is located

towards the eastern end of the Chota Nagpur Plateau in the Giridih
district of Jharkhand.