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UPSC Prelims 1995 · World Geography · Rocks, Quakes and Landforms

The Indian subcontinent was originally a part of a huge mass called:

Show the answer and explanation

Answer: (d) Gondwana continent

India was part of Gondwana (with Africa, S. America, Australia, Antarctica).

The idea

A continent’s present outline does not show all the lands it was once joined to. Reconstruct past connections from matching rock belts, fossils and glacial evidence. The Indian plate once belonged to the southern group of connected continental lands before moving towards Asia.

Southern continents form Gondwana → Rifting opens between its parts → India separates with other fragments → New ocean floor forms → India moves north → Collision with Eurasia builds the Himalayan belt

Why the others are wrong

(b) Aryavarta is a historical term, not a landmass.

Elimination technique

Jurassic is a geological period; Aryavarta is a historical-cultural name, and Indiana is not the relevant supercontinent. The named southern continental grouping is Gondwana.

Also know

Gondwana included Africa, South America, Antarctica, Australia, India and Madagascar. Laurasia was the northern continental group associated with the breakup of Pangaea. Gondwana coal-bearing rock systems in India include the Damodar Valley basins. A geological supercontinent name is different from a historical name for a country.

🔒 Pangaea → Laurasia (north) + Gondwana (south).

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