The Deccan Plateau is the basis of the Hindustan Peninsula. On the map, it is located between 11° and 20° north latitude and 75° - 80° east longitude. The plateau is located in the center of the peninsula. Its borders from the north and south are two rivers: Narmada and Kaveri, the latter, due to the inclination to the east, carries its waters to the Bay of Bengal. And the Narmada River flows into the Arabian Sea.
Briefly about the plateau
The Deccan is the largest plateau in India. It has an area of 1 million square meters. km. It is a rocky plain, with separately rising mountain peaks. The Deccan Plateau is located in such a way that the Indo-Ghana Plain is located from its northern part, and the Malabar coast from the south. Along the western and eastern edges are borders expressed by mountain ranges. They are called Western and Eastern Ghats.
The Deccan Plateau tends to slope slightly towards the east coast. For this reason, the entire flow of internal waters of thisterritory in the Bay of Bengal. The age of the plateau is the Mesozoic period. It was at this time that the peaks came to the surface.
Relief
The Deccan Plateau is part of the Indian Platform. Its base is composed of Archean and Proterozoic gneisses, quartzites, shales and fine granites.
The relief of the plateau consists of stepped plains typical for this region, which are called traps. They represent the remaining craters of ancient volcanoes. The traps are composed entirely of igneous rocks, the surface of which is covered with bas alts. Average heights – 600-900 m.
The name "trapp" is taken from the Swedish language, which means "ladder" in translation. And it's not for nothing that they got such a name. It is a staircase with steps that resembles this relief. Traps are found in various mountain systems, where ancient volcanoes had a great influence on their formation. But such relief areas, which can be observed on the Deccan Plateau, are considered the largest volcanic formations of this type on Earth.
In addition to the traps, mountain peaks rise along the plateau. They can stand alone or in a closely spaced mountain range. All of them are denudation mesas with an average height of 1,500-1,800 m.
Climate
The Deccan Plateau is characterized by the most favorable climate throughout South Asia - subequatorial monsoon type. The highest level of heat occurs in May. During this period, the thermometer rises to + 28 … + 32°C. January is considered the coldest. The temperature during this month drops to +21°C. There are no frosty days on the plateau. Precipitation is unevenly distributed over the area. Most of them fall on the eastern and western margins (windward slopes) - 2,500-3,000 mm. In the central part, the average annual rainfall reaches 900 mm. Most often they fall as rain in the summer.
Inland waters and soils
The large rivers of India flow through the plateau - Mahanadi, Godavari, Kaveri, Narmada.
The Deccan Plateau is covered with fertile black tropical soils. Currently, more than 60% of this area has been plowed up in order to develop agriculture in this region.
From the vegetation here you can find monsoon deciduous forests, which mainly consist of trees such as bamboo, teak, sal. Also, this area is characterized by woodlands and dry savannas.
Mineral resources
The formation of the largest mineral deposits in this region was greatly influenced by ancient volcanic activity. In the valleys where sedimentary rocks accumulated, large deposits of coal were formed. Important deposits of iron and copper ores, tungsten, manganese and gold have also been developed.
After reading this article, all students will know where the Deccan Plateau is located and what its features are.
