Relief and Structure of Haryana | HPSC Preparation: All subjects - HPSC (Haryana) PDF Download

Physiography of Haryana

• The northern region of India is where Haryana State is located, and it is bounded by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south.
• The eastern border of Haryana is defined by the Yamuna River, which separates it from Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
• Haryana completely surrounds Delhi on three sides, forming its northern, western and southern borders.
• Haryana is a landlocked state located in the north of India.
• Its location is between 27 degrees 37 minutes to 30 degrees 35 minutes N latitude and between 74 degrees 28 minutes and 77 degrees 36 minutes E longitude.
• The altitude of Haryana ranges from 200 meters to 1200 meters above sea level.
• The total area of Haryana is 44,212 square kilometers, which constitutes 1.4% of the total geographical area of the country.

Physiographic Characteristics of Haryana

• With the exception of the northern Shivalik hills and southern Aravalli hills, Haryana is primarily a flat region in terms of its topography and structure.
• In terms of regional divisions, the Haryana plain is a component of the vast Indo-Gangetic plain, which was created by the accumulation of alluvial deposits carried by rivers from the Himalayas.
• Within the Haryana plain, three sub-divisions have been identified.

The Eastern Haryana Plain

• The eastern region of Haryana is a plain area, consisting of several districts such as Panchkula, Ambala, Yamuna Nagar, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat, Rohtak, Jhajjar, and Jind. 
• This area is bordered by the low hills of the Shivalik system and Himachal Pradesh to the northeast, Punjab to the west, the Southern Haryana plain to the south, the Western Haryana plain to the west, and Uttar Pradesh and Delhi UT across the Yamuna river to the east.
• The Shivalik tract in this region is composed of silt, sand, clay, and conglomerates ranging in age from the middle Eocene to lower Pleistocene. It consists of a broad tabled land with a slope generally from northeast to southwest, in which direction most of the rivers flow. 
• The important rivers in the region include the Yamuna, Ghaggar, Markanda, Chautang, and Shivalik. Many rain-fed torrents flow down the outer slopes of the Shivalik and spread much gravel and rubble in their beds.
• The region is not endowed with any perennial rivers in the eastern part. However, the rivers Ghaggar, Markanda, Saraswati, and Yamuna have their floodplains commonly known as khaddar or Bet areas. The soils in these floodplains are river-borne sand and silt.

The Western Haryana Plain

• The Western Haryana Plain is located to the north of Rajasthan and the southwest of Punjab, and is surrounded by the Southern Haryana Plain to the south, the Eastern Haryana Plain to the east. The districts it covers are Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar and Bhiwani.
• The region is characterized by the presence of several sand dunes of different sizes and shapes, which have been formed due to wind erosion. The water table in the area is deep.
• The region is also known as "Bhiwani Bagar" due to its unique geographic features.
• The Ghaggar River is the only river that flows through this region, and its floodplain divides the Sirsa district.
• The region is significant for the cultivation of cotton, grains and oilseeds.

Southern Haryana Plain

• The Southern Haryana Plain includes the districts of Mahendergarh, Rewari, Gurgaon and Faridabad, with Delhi being bounded by U.P. in the east, Rajasthan in the south and west, and the western and eastern Haryana Plains in the north.
• This region differs from the western Haryana Plain due to the presence of Aravalli offshoots and the slopes towards the north in its western parts, as well as the undulating character of the surface.
• The Southern Haryana Plain also has dunes of varying sizes, with Aravalli offshoots in Mahendergarh and Rewari, while in Gurgaon or Faridabad, they are responsible for the undulation in the region.
• A number of small, rainy, seasonal rivulets carry water from Rajasthan into southern Haryana, which represents inland drainage, but they lack potential for extensive utilization due to the small volume of water carried by them. The Sahibi Valley project over the Sahibi River is currently being developed.
• The lithological diversity in alluvial monotony has a strong influence on the distributional pattern of land use, cropping pattern, and crop production in this region. The undulating sandy plain of southern Haryana is witnessing dramatic development, which will bring prosperity to the region.

Geology of Haryana

• Geology is the study of the origin, composition, and occurrence of rocks and minerals on Earth.
• Haryana has different types of rocks which are categorized into three geological domains:
  (a) Aravali Mountains' Pre-Cambrian rocks
  (b) Himalayas' Tertiary rocks
  (c) Indo-Gangetic Plains' Quaternary deposits.
• The dominant geological domains in Haryana are the Quaternary deposits of the Indo-Gangetic Plains and the Pre-Cambrian rocks of the Aravali Mountains.

Geology of Panipat District of Haryana

• The district is fully covered by deposits of alluvium that range from the quaternary to recent age and are of both old and new types.
• These deposits consist of sand and clay, and there are also occurrences of consolidated and unconsolidated sands in some areas of the district.

Geology of Sonipat District of Haryana

• The district is largely covered by alluvial deposits, which include clay, loam, silt, and sand. These deposits are believed to have been carried by the Yamuna River.
• As a result of the Yamuna River changing its course, high-quality silica sand has been left behind in the district.

Geology of Rohtak District of Haryana

• The district is made up of alluvial soil of recent age, loam soil of Bhangar and Nadrak, and coarse loam of Daher and Chaeknote.
• The district is a component of the Indo-Gangetic alluvial plain and the soil here ranges from Pleistocene to recent age.

Geology of Jhajjar District of Haryana

• This region is included in the Dugan ethic plain, which consists of aeolian deposits ranging from the Pleistocene to recent times.
• The deposits in this area consist of varying mixtures of clay, sand, and kankar.

Geology of Rewari District of Haryana

• The Purona rocks located in Rewari district are categorized under the Ajabgarh series of Delhi system.
• These hills have been subjected to erosion for a long time and their altitude ranges between 300m to 425m above the mean sea level.
• The hills are characterized by steep slopes, with no vegetation and rocks scattered around.
• The ancient flood plains have been overlaid with Aeolian plains and sand dunes.

Geology of Gurgaon and Mewat District of Haryana

• The district is characterized by the presence of scattered isolated strike ridges of old rocks that were once part of the Aravali mountain chain during the Pre-Cambrian period.
• The region also has alluvium and sand deposits that are of recent to sub-recent origin.

Geology of Faridabad and Palwal District of Haryana

• The district is mostly covered by alluvial plains that range from recent to sub-recent in age, and these include both older (Banger) and newer (Khadar) alluvial deposits as well as kankar.
• Kankar is found mostly in the northern part of the district, and it has a low content of calcareous matter.