Geology: Geomorphic Processes and Landforms
Weathering, erosion, mass wasting
Weathering breaks rock in place; erosion removes and transports the debris; mass wasting moves material downslope under gravity. In Maharashtra, physical weathering is dominated by insolation exfoliation of basalt and salt weathering along the Konkan coast; frost action is negligible. Chemically, hydrolysis of feldspar yields kaolin (the white clay of laterite), carbonation attacks limestone, and oxidation produces red laterite. Biological weathering includes root wedging and lichen action.
Landforms to recognise
Fluvial: V-shaped valleys, potholes, waterfalls where a hard basalt flow caps softer tuff, meanders, floodplains and alluvial fans. The Deccan plateau shows step-like traps, mesas and buttes where a laterite or hard-flow cap protects a softer column. The Sahyadri is an escarpment with a steep western scarp face. Coastal landforms: cliffs, wave-cut platforms, sea stacks, spits and bars, tidal mudflats. Karst features are limited but solution occurs in limestone belts. Wind action is minor, confined to dry Marathwada.
Worked example
Why does a waterfall form where a hard flow overlies soft tuff? The tuff erodes faster, undercutting the hard cap; the cap collapses, and the knick point retreats upstream. Reasoning: differential erosion plus an initial vertical drop.
Traps
Weathering is not erosion - weathered rock still in place has not been transported. A butte is simply a smaller, narrower-capped mesa. Laterite is residual, not river-deposited. Do not claim glaciation for Deccan landforms.