O-Level Geography Chapter 1 Topography of Pakistan Baluchistan & Potwar Plateau

O-Level Geography Chapter 1 Topography of Pakistan Baluchistan Plateau

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Baluchistan Plateau

Plateau: is an area of highland, which is usually flat although a heavily dissected plateau can also exist.

Features are:

• Baluchistan Plateau has a height varying from around 600m to around 3000m
• Total covered area of 347190 sq km
• It has deep narrow valleys like Quetta
• They have bare rocks due to lack of rainfall
• The mountains have steep slopes and none are snow capped.
• here are parallel ranges running in an East to West direction for example the Chagai Hills, Raskoh Range, and Makran Coastal Range are all parallel ranges.
• Parallel ranges running North-South direction are Central Brahui and the Hala range.

Drainage

In the Southern part of the Balochistan Plateau, the River Dasht and River Porali flow from north to South, thus eventually draining into the Arabian Sea. Both are seasonal rivers; they flow only during the rainy season.

In Central Balochistan, water either drains into inland lakes known as Hamuns or is absorbed into the  round, if not, it evaporates these basins are known as INLAND DRAINAGE BASINS . Dry lakes known as Hamun exist (like Hamun-i-Mashkel). They are formed when seasonal rivers flow into them during the rainy season and when the water evaporates it forms SALT LAKES or SALT PAN leaving a salty crust behind . A Hamun is a sort of depression on the Earth’s surface.

In Northern Balochistan, River Zhob flows from southwest towards northeast. It eventually meets the River Gomal, which is a western tributary of the River Indus.

Mountain Ranges of Balochistan

• Ras koh
• Hala
• Makran coastal range
• Central Brahui
• Toba kakkar
• Siahan

Potwar plateau

This plateau covers the northern parts of Punjab and some of the western part of Azad Kashmir. To the North of the plateau we find the Margalla Hills, in the South the Salt range, in the East River Jhelum and on the West the River Indus.

Topography

Height ranges from 305 to 610m and represents a region of badland topography. The hills have steep slopes and are badly dissected, faulted and folded. Many residual hills are present, a feature left by the last Ice Age due to retreating glaciers. Ravines (shallow, steep sided narrow valleys) are present between ridges (elevated pieces of land that run for some distance). Ravines are formed due to the erosion of soft rock by flowing water over a long period of time

Drainage

River Soan drains much of Potwar Plateau. It runs from North-East to South-West and eventually drains into the River Indus. Other small rivers are also present but all are active in the rainy season. These rivers have meanders (curves in the path of a river) because they have to flow around small hills Alluvial plains have also formed along the rivers due to seasonal flooding and the consequent deposition of silt by the river.

Salt Range

The Salt range is bordered by Potwar Plateau in the North, River Indus on the west and River Jhelum on the east Topography It consists of parallel mountains, which generally run from North-East to South-West. The height of the range varies from 750-900m The mountain range slopes gently towards the Potwar Plateau (in the north) but slopes steeply towards the Upper Indus Plain (in the south).

• River soan is partially separating potwar with salt ranges.
• Salt ranges are steeper to words potwar plateau.
• They have higher altitude in the south which decrease north wards.
• There are few beautiful lakes in the region like color Kalarkahar, Makrachi, Dhabi.
• Salt ranges are covered by gullies which are making Bad-land topography. This is because of deforestation.
• Small scale subsistence farming is possible around river source and its tributaries.