Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon – October 27

Plate Tectonic Theory:

Conservative Plate Boundaries

• Boundaries where the two plates slide past each other
• A plate is neither created nor destroyed in this case.
• A large amount of stress is released as the plates move against each other.
• Release of stress leads to shallow-focus intense earthquake.

Convergent Plate Boundaries

• Boundaries where the two plates move towards each other.
• Convergence leads to the sinking of the heavier tectonic plate under the lighter one.
• Benioff zone refers to a dipping planar zone of the earthquake that is produced by the interaction of a down-going oceanic crustal plate with a continental plate.
• At the point of subduction the rocks get broken due to compression.

Statement 1 is incorrect

Continental Crust

• Continental Crust is made up of Graniatic& Andesitic Rocks
• Dominant mineral present in this rock is Feldsphur
• Density of the Continental crust is 2.6 gm. / Cm3
• Thickness of the Continental crust is 40 km
• Under mountainous area thickness of Continental crust reaches up to 100km

Statement 2 and 3 are correct

Oceanic Crust

• Oceanic crust is made up of Basaltic Rocks
• Minerals composing the Oceanic crust is Ferro magnesia
• Density of the Oceanic crust is 3.0gm. / Cm3
• Thickness of the Oceanic crust is much less variable up to 5-10 km

• The Peninsular Plateau is also known as the Deccan Plateau.
• It comprises of most part of southern portion of the nation.
• The plateau ascends 100 meters in the north, ascending further to over 1,000 meters to the south, creating an elevated triangle situated in the well-known downhill-moving triangle of the seashore of the Indian subcontinent.
• The Deccan Plateau stretches over eight states in India and covers a broad variety of environments, encompassing the majority of the Central and South Indian regions. The Deccan Plateau is lying in the middle of three mountain ranges; the Eastern Ghats creates its eastern border and the Western Ghats its western border. Each of the two mountain ranges ascends from their particular adjacent seaward plains and almost joins at the southernmost point of India.
• KarbiAnglong Plateau in Meghalaya is said to be a part of Peninsular Plateau earlier. It is separatedØ from the rest of the peninsular plateau by a fault called Malda Fault.

All the statements are correct:

Lakshadweep Islands 

• These are coral island group
• Minicoy Island is the largest island group that is present in the Lakshadweed
• Minicoy Island is separated from the other islands by the 9 degree channel
• 8 degree channel separates Minicoy Islands from Maldives

Some of the ENDEMIC SPECIES & Their REGIONS in India:

1. Hangul Deer: Kashmir
2. Barasingha or Swamp Deer: Tarai Region
3. NilgiriTahr: Shola Grassland
4. Indian Wild Ass: Little Runn of Kutch
5. Snow Leopard: Himalayas (found in Great Himalayan National Park)
6. Asiatic Lion: Gir forest region of Gujrat
7. Lion tail Macaque: Western Ghats and Annamalai regions
8. Golden Langur: Manas region in Assam
9. Black Langur: Nilgiri region
10. Great Indian Bustard: Semi – Arid region of Rajasthan

Rotterdam convention:

Rotterdam Convention, is a multilateral treaty to promote shared responsibilities in relation to importation of hazardous chemicals. The convention promotes open exchange of information and calls on exporters of hazardous chemicals to use proper labelling, include directions on safe handling, and inform purchasers of any known restrictions or bans. Signatory nations can decide whether to allow or ban the importation of chemicals listed in the treaty, and exporting countries are obliged make sure that producers within their jurisdiction comply.

Statement A is Correct

• Snow leopard (Panthera uncial) is a large cat native to mountain ranges of Central and South Asia- including Himalayas, and Russia’s remote Altai mountains. It inhabits in alpine and subalpine zones at elevations from 3,000 to 4,500 m. In northern range countries, it is also found at lower elevations.
• It is threatened by poaching for their fur, habitat destruction by infrastructure developments and climate change. It mostly feed on wild animals, but also prey on livestock. It usually hunts at dawn and dusk and is able to kill prey up to three times their own weight.
• It is National Heritage Animal of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Statement B is Incorrect

• In September 2017, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had downgraded conservation status of snow leopard to “vulnerable” from “endangered”.