VIII.Geography.Chapter2.Natural Resources Land Soil Water

Subject- Geography
Chapter 2
Natural Resources : Land,Solid and Water.

Keywords 

Altitude :  height above the mean sea level.  

Ecosystem : interdependency or inter - relationship of biological elements of the environment on their physical environment.  

Deforestation : cutting down of large number of trees in an area or clearing of the forest cover.  

Drip irrigation : it is a form of irrigation in which water drips in small quantity on roots of the plants.  

Glacier : moving mass of ice like a river.  

Precipitation : process in which water vapors fall on the ground in the form of rain, snow, hail and sleet.  

Sprinkler method : an irrigation technique of spraying water on the plants like rain.  

Topography : physical features, relief or landforms like mountains, plateaus, plains, etc.  

Water harvesting : storing the rainwater through various methods. 

Water table : the level below which the ground is completely saturated with water.  

Weathering : process of disintegration of rocks into smaller pieces till it gets converted into soil. 

Inside & others Questions : 
Q.Name the four spheres  of environment..

Answer : The four spares of environment are :-

a.Lithosphere b.Atmosphere c.Hydrosphere d.Biosphere

Q.What are the layers of the atmosphere?
Answer : a.Troposphere b.Stratosphere c.Mesosphere.

Q.What are the uses of land ?

Answer :The pieces of land are used for growing crops ,building houses ,constructing roads and railway tracks,establishing industries,grazing animals,mining ,etc.

Q.What is the soil?

Answer:Lithosphere consist of loose surface material called soil.

Q.What is humus?

Answer: The organic component which consists of dead and decomposed parts of animals and plants are is known as humus.

Q.What are the factors that affect soil formation?

Answer: Soil formation is influenced by five factors : 
a.the parent rock, b.the topography, c.the climate,d.the vegetation cover and time .

Q.What is the parent rock?

Answer: The original rock from which soil is formed by which soil is formed by the process of weathering is known as parent rock.For example, the black soil of India is derived from the lava rock.

Q.What is the topography?

Answer: The physical characteristics of an area of a land, especially the position of rivers, mountains, etc is called topography.

Q.What is soil conservation?

Answer: Soil conservation means prevention of soil from being eroded.

Q.What is afforestation?

Answer: The process of planting more and more tree and seed on the land is called afforestation.

Q.What is terrace farming ?

Answer: Terrace farming means growing of crops on level of steps or terraces constructed on hill sides.

Q.What is Contour ploughing?

Answer : Contour ploughing is a technique of ploughing parallel to the contours of a hill slope rather than up and down the slope,so as to reduce soil erosion.

Q.Why the Earth is known as watery planet?

Answer: Earth is known as watery planet because nearly 71% of the earth's surface is covered with water.

Q.What is hydrological cycle?

Answer: The rain water continuously gets recycled in nature through evaporation , condensation and precipitation, which is known as hydrological cycle.

Something to know

Exercise Question

A.Tick the correct option:-

1 Which type of erosion leads to desertification?

Answer : Soil erosion

2. Which one of the following is suitable for restoring soil fertility?

Answer: Rotation of crops.

3. Which of the following is not favour of multipurpose river valley projects?

Answer:  Large scale displacement of people

4. Maintenance of lakes and ponds is essential for-

Answer: increasing water table .

5.which factor is more responsible for the quick formation of soil in Rajasthan?

Answer: Extreme difference in day and night temperature. 

B. Fill in the blanks .

1. Earth's surface is divided into lithosphere and hydrosphere zones.

2. To maintain ecological balance 33 % of the land should be under the forest.

3. Planting of trees is commonly known as afforestation.

4. The main source of fresh water is Rainfall.

5. Earth is known as blue planet due to the presence of water on it.

C. Write a technical term or an appropriate word for each of the following statements.

1. It is formed by decomposed parts and animals .Humus.

2. The original rock from which the soil is formed . Parent Rock.

3. It is formed as a result of long continued weathering process of rocks. Soil.

4. A project which serves various purpose at the same time. Multipurpose project .

5. The process in which the top layer of the soil is removed by the natural and human activities. Soil erosion.

D. Answer the following questions in brief.

Q.1.Why is soil considered an important resource ? Give any three reasons.

Answer: Soil considered an important resources due to following factor:
As a resource,soil is a immense value to the Farmers. Agriculture production is mainly depend upon the fertility of the soil.
Animals also depend upon the soil to satisfy their basic needs.
It gives shelter to the insects and animals like rats,snakes,ants,earthworms,etc.Soil is also used for making bricks and pottery.

Q.2.Highlight the cause of soil erosion.

Answer :  The causes of soil erosion are :

In soil erosion,the top layer of the soil is removed by natural agents,such as water, wind , glacier,etc.,and mankind unwise action such as deforestation,over – grazing and mining Q.3.Explain the hydrological cycle with the help of diagram .

Answer : The rain water continuously gets recycled in the nature through evaporation , condensation and precipitation,which is known as hydrological cycle.

The diagram is given below:

Q.4.How does river get polluted? Explain.

Answer : The quality of water in River is adversely affected as the untreated industrial waste and urban waste is dumped into them.

Q.5.Identify any three ecological problems caused by building large dams.

Answer: The three ecological problems caused by building large dams are :-

·         Extensive forests submerged under water .

·         River water gets diverted.

·         Population gets displaced.

·         Aquatic life gets affected .

·         Result in soil erosion.

·         During excessive rain , floods are caused .

E.Answer the following questions :

Q.1. Explain five factors responsible for the formation of soil.

 Answer : The five factors that are responsible for the formation of the soil are:-

·         The parent rock : The original rock from which the soil is formed by the process of weathering is known as the parent rock.

·         The topography : The physical characteristics of an area of land , especially the position of it’s rivers , mountains etc.

·         The climate : Climatic factors, like temperature and rainfall , affect the soil formation . In the areas of high rainfall and extreme temperature , rocks are easily weathered.

·         The vegetation cover : At times , plant grow in the cracks and make them wider. As a result ,cracks disintegrate into smaller pieces and help in the formation of soil.

·         Time : Time gives maturity to the soil. Although, soil is renewable resource, yet it takes thousands of years to develop a very thin layer of soil on the earth’s surface.

Q.2. What is meant by land use pattern? Why it is important to study the land  use pattern ? List the factors influencing the utilisation of land.

Answer : Land is used for various purposes,such as cultivation of crops, building of houses , construction of roads and railways, grazing of animals ,etc. This is commonly known as land use pattern .

The study of land pattern is important for the economic planning of a Nation . It helps in assessing shortcoming in the land utilisation.

The factors that influencing the utilisation of a land are :

Physical factors : relief, soil , Climatic conditions , mineral resources , etc .,

Human factors : density of population and the technological and social requirements of the people.

Q.3.What are Multipurpose River valley projects?Name any two such projects.List the main objectives of multipurpose river valley project.

Answer : The Multipurpose River valley project are basically designed for the development of irrigation for agriculture 
and  electricity through the construction of dams. 
Ex Damodar valley project and Hirakund dam in India, are an example of such type of project. 
A dam are constructed across the river for storing water.This stored water is used for several purposes,such as irrigation,generating hydroelectricity,afforestation,flood control ,navigation , etc.

Q.4.Suggest any five steps to conserve soil.

Answer: There are following steps for conserve soil.
Rows of trees or shelter belts are planted in desert region to protect the fields from wind erosion.
Steps should be taken to check reckless cutting or felling of trees.
 Floods should be avoided by building  dams across the rivers.
Terrace farming and contour ploughing should be encouraged across the hill slopes
Scientific agriculture practices like rotation of crops, strip cropping, etc.,should be
systematically followed.
Q.5.Suggest any five methods for conservation of water.
Answer: There are some methods by which we can conserve water:
Water harvesting is one of the methods of saving surface water runoff.
Recycled water.The demand of water for industries can be met by the recycled water.
Making  dams across the rivers The rain water can be impounded by making  dams across the rivers.
Installing water fixtures Water can be conserved by installing water fixtures,such as sensor taps in public places.
Maintenance of lakes and ponds also helps in increasing the aquifer (water table) of underground water.