SSC CGL Geography · Earth's Structure, Landforms and Geological Time
Landforms, Weathering and Mass Movements
How rock breaks up in place, how it slides downhill, and the landforms made by glaciers, rivers, wind and water in limestone caves.
Why this matters
Eleven questions in the bank, and nine of them come from the 2025 shifts. Those papers asked which landform belongs to which agent, and how the cave features differ, so learn each landform with the agent that makes it.
Concept 1 of 2: Weathering and mass movements
Definition
Weathering:
- The breaking down of rock in place, by physical disintegration or chemical decomposition.
- Exfoliation, the peeling off of curved sheets of rock as it heats and cools, is physical weathering.
Mass movements:
- Slump: a block slips with a backward rotation.
- Rockslide: rock slides down a slope, involving material to a considerable depth.
- Rock fall: pieces fall freely from the surface layers of a rock face.
Practise this conceptself-check · 3 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 1 · Earth's Structure, Landforms and Geological Time · Landforms, Weathering and Mass Movements
Rotation means slump
Concept 2 of 2: Landforms by agent
Definition
Ice (glaciers):
- A tributary glacier cuts less deep, so its valley is left as a hanging valley high above the main valley; the ridges between are cut back into triangular truncated spurs.
- Till is an unsorted mix of clay, sand and boulders dropped straight from ice.
Rivers: on flat land a river erodes sideways and forms meanders. Floods build raised banks, natural levees, along large rivers.
Wind (deserts): mushroom rocks, flat-topped mesas and buttes, and rock pedestals.
Limestone caves:
- A stalactite hangs down from the roof.
- A stalagmite rises up from the floor where water drips.
- When the two meet they form a pillar.
Practise this conceptself-check · 3 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 2 · Earth's Structure, Landforms and Geological Time · Landforms, Weathering and Mass Movements
Stalactite down, stalagmite up
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (2)
Watch out for (2)
- Rotation means slump→ Weathering and mass movements
- Stalactite down, stalagmite up→ Landforms by agent
Test yourself on Earth's Structure, Landforms and Geological Time
10 past SSC CGL questions from this chapter, timed at 6 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.