Jammu kashmiir divided into various physical
divisions each has different relief features.
The alluvial plains of Ravi, Tawi and Chenab rivers border the southern flanks
of the state. These are located in the south of Shiwalik hills. These outer plains vary in
altitude from 325 to 350 mts. These are highly fertile for agriculture.
In the North of outer plains lies the youngest mountains of sub continent called
Shiwalik. These are 20-50 kms in width and their height varies between 600-1220 mts
above sea level. Jammu city is located on the southern slopes of Shiwalik hills at an
altitude of 366 mts. On the either bank of river Tawi. The southern slope of Shiwalik
hills have an undulating pattern. Mansar and Surinsar lakes also lie in these mountains
at an altitude of 600 mts.
The middle mountains are located between the river Tawi in the east and
Poonch in the west. These have North West extension upto Muzaffarabad. Their average
height is between 1820-2240 mts. Jammu-Srinagar National highway has been carved
out through these mountains and it crosses them at Patnitop at a height of 1950 mts.
The sacred cave of Mata Vaishno Devi also lies in middle mountains on Trikuta hills.
The bowl shaped valley of Kashmir is surrounded by North West Himalayan
folds on all sides. These mountains vary in altitude from 2770 to 5550 mts. In the south in Pirpanjal range in Banihal pass that affords on exit from the valley. Kashmir valley
on the North is bounded by Greater Himalayas.
In J&K the Greater Himalayas are called ‘Zanskar’. Average height of Zanskar
range is 5940 mts. Here lie some coldest places, like Drass and Rangdom. Where
temperature falls even below -400C in winter season. Ladakh region forms the Northern
and Eastern part of the state. It is an arid table land with an average altitude of 5000
mts. It is the coldest desert having very low rainfall and scanty vegetation. Leh district
is situated at an altitude of 3505 mts. On the right bank of Indus river. World’s 2nd
highest peak is also situated here in Karakoram range. Saichan, Baltore, Hispar, Rimo
and Batuna are important valley glaciers in the North of ladakh. On the basis of the
stratigraphic and tectonic history, relief characteristics and erosional processes Jammu
and Kashmir state may be divided into six major physiographic regions:-
1 The Outer Plains
2. The Siwaliks or Outer hills
3. The Lower or Middle Himalayas
4. The Valley of Kashmir
5. The Greater Himalayas
6. The plateau of Ladakh
1. The Outer Plains :- The outer plain of Jammu and Kashmir, locally known as
Andarwah or Bajwat, is a part of the Great Plains of India. The outer plains stretch from
river Ravi to the Chenab for a distance of 110 km with an elevation of 330 to 360 mtr
above sea level. The plain is badly dissected by a series of deep and shallow ravines
which carry off the seasonal flood waters of monsoon rains, exposing the sand, gravel,
pebbles and boulders of the river bed. For most of the year these ravines locally called
‘Khads’ are dry. The other streams of this region are Basanter, Ujh, Tawi and Manawar
Tawi. Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Hiranagar and Akhnoor belong to the outer plain.
The alluvial plains of the Jammu and Kashmir state are formed by the deposition
of Chenab, Tawi, Ravi and their tributaries. In width, in the plain it varies from 7 to 30 km. It stretches in the southern parts of Akhnoor, Ranbir Singh Pura (R.S.Pura), Samba
and Kathua.
2. The Siwaliks or the outer Hills :- The relatively low outermost hills of the
Himalayas along its whole length from the Indus to the Brahmaputra are known as the
Siwaliks. The outer hills known as outer Himalayas, Siwalik hills or Jammu hills
because of their location, rising from Punjab plains and carrying a gentle slope these
hills attain a height of 600 meters in the vicinity of Jammu. They stretch from Ravi to
Jhelum for a distance of more than 200km and attain a maximum width of 20 to 50
km in this state. The outer most ranges of the Himalayas rise from the plains of Punjab,
commencing with a gentle slope from Jammu, attain about 600 m in altitude, and their
end abruptly in steep, almost perpendicular escapement inwards. The hills consist
mainly of clay, Sand, round pebbles and boulders and Seasonal stream courses. Lake
Mansar and saruinsar are situated at an elevation of 600 m to the east of Jammu city
in the Siwalik range.
The undulating slope, adjacent to the plains upto an elevation of 300 m between
ravi and Chenab rivers are locally known as kandi. The kandi land is characterised by
numerous torrants, hilly soils and scarcity of water. Consequently agriculture in kandi
tract is largely dependent on rains. The rate of soil erosion during rainy season is heavy.
From Basohli in the east and Poonch in the west, the Siwalik hills form broken
and rugged terrain. A series of wide longitudinal valleys, called duns lie to the north of
Siwalik hills. Udhampur, Sunderbani (Rajouri), Basohli, Ramkote and Dansal are typical
examples of such duns.
3. The Lower or Middle Himalayas (Lesser Himalayas) :- It is also known
as Middle Mountain, lesser Himalayas, Lower Himalayan or Pir Panjal mountain. The
Middle Himalayas of the Jammu and Kashmir state lie between the Ravi in the east and
the Poonch in the west and continues upto Muzaffarabad. The ranges of Pir-Panjal and
Dhauladhar lie in the Lesser Himalayas of the state. In Jammu region they are locally
known as Pahar (mountain). In elevation they seldom rise above 3600-4600 m, and
have a width of about 60 km near Rajouri. In general, it has an east-west extension.
The Middle Himalayas are composed of highly compressed and altered rocks of various geological ages, ranging from the Puranas and Carboniferous to Eocene.
Several important rivers like Tawi, Manawar-Tawi, Basanter, and Ujh have their
sources in the Middle Himalayas is dominated by sandstone, shale and light yellow
limestone of the Miocene Murree system and Eocene deposits.
Excepting the river terraces and the river valley, cultivation of crops is not an
important economic activity on the slopes of the Middle Himalayas. The people are
largely dependent an forestry, Lumbering, herding, cattle keeping, and tourist industry.
The general standard of living of the people is low and the rural areas are less accessible.
The area is poor in basic mineral resources, specially in coal petroleum and natural gas.
Coal, however being mined at Kalakote ( Dist. Rajouri) of the Jammu Division. The
Middle Himalayas are very rich in clays, sands, limestone, building-stone, slate and have
enormous water resource which is being harnessed for the generation of the hydel
power. There is however a dearth of metallic minerals like iron-ore, copper, bauxite,
pyrite, lead, zinc, silver and gold, in the Middle Himalayas.
4. The Valley of Kashmir :- The valley of Kashmir, nestled in north-western
folds of the Himalayas in a transverse valley, surrounded on all sides by high mountain
ranges, characterised by snow covered lofty peaks. The surrounding mountain ranges
rising to a height of 5,550 m on the north-east, where the Banihal Pass (JawaharTunnel) provides an exit from the valley. The only outlet for the rivers is the Barmullagorge, where the placid Jhelum river leaves the smooth grassy banks and hurries head
long down its rock course to the great plains of the south. The Kashmir valley is
distinctly basin shaped and that it has a length of about 140 km ( 84 miles) and a width
varying from 53-55 km (20 to 25 miles). The lowest point in the valley has an elevation
of 1600 m (5, 200 feet) and the mean elevation is 184 m (6, 000 feet) above the sea
level.
The oval shaped valley of Kashmir is filled with thick deposits of aluminum
which have blanketed even the lower slopes of the surrounding ranges. On the borders
of the Kashmir valley and even in the valley floor occur extensive elevated plateaus of
alluvial and Lacustrine material. The deposits are locally known as Karewas which in
most part is densely covered with rice and saffron crop
Side valleys : Within the valley of Kashmir, there are three important side valleys
namely. (i) The Lidder valley (ii) The Sind valley and (iii) The Lolab valley.
The Lidder valley extends from Anantnag to Pahalgam, including the Parganas
of Dachinpora and Khaurpora.
Sind valley is one of the most beautiful valleys of Kashmir. It owes its name to
the river Sind-har which is fed by glaciers and streams. It extends from Ganderbal to
the Zoji-La Pass.
Lolab valley is the fertile oval shaped valley is situated in the north-west side
of Kashmir, The valley is covered by thick forest of deodar. It is also famous for apple,
cherry, Peach and walnut.
5. The Greater Himalyas or inner Himalayas :- To the north of Pir Panjal and
Dhauladhar ranges are the more lofty mountain ranges of the innermost zone of the
Himalayas rising above the snow-line into the peaks of the perpetual snow. In the north,
Kashmir Range is an offshoot of the Zanskar Range, which forms the north-eastern
border of the valley of Kashmir. In the Zanskar Range there are a few peaks which
have heights between 4500 to 6,100m above the sea level. Beyond this range, one may
observe the elevated plateaus and high mountain ranges separated from one another by
great depressions with majestic peaks towering to 7,300m. The altitude steadily increases
farther north, till the peak K2
on the mighty Korakoram or Mustang Range, attains the
culminating height of 8,621m; the second highest peak in the world. Tot the north-west
the height of the valley beds descends till Gilgit on the vary flanks of the gigantic peak
of Nanga Parbat, Diyamir (8,120m). In north and north-east Kashmir, there are the
plateaus of Deosai, 3965 m above the sea level. The physical features of this extremely
rugged wind-swept and frost-bitten region vary much in character. They present as
aspect of desolate, ice bound altitudes and long dreary wastes of valleys and depressed
lands totally different from the soft harmony of the Kashmir mountain.
6. Ladakh Plateau : Ladakh is one of the loftiest inhabited regions of the world,
(3600-4600m). Its short but warm summers enable a few grain and fruit crops to ripen.
The bare mountains which rise from their exhibit the exquisite from burning heat of some
of the deserts to several degrees below freezing-point at night. Between Ladakh and the Dhauladher range are the district of Zanskar, Lahoul, and Rupshu, consisting of
intricately ramifying glaciated ranges of crystalline rocks, intersected by lofty valleys
having but a restricted draniage into a few saline lakes and marshes.