Deccan Plateau

The Deccan Plateau is a broad upland covering much of peninsular India, bounded broadly by the Western and Eastern Ghats. Its geology includes ancient crystalline rocks and the extensive volcanic Deccan Traps.

Deccan Traps: A vast province of layered basalt formed by volcanic eruptions near the end of the Cretaceous Period. These lava flows cover much of the plateau’s northwestern sector.
Mantle plume: A column of unusually hot mantle rock that rises toward Earth’s surface. A plume is a leading explanation for the extensive volcanism that built the Deccan Traps.
Cotton: A soft plant fiber produced in seed pods of plants in the genus Gossypium. Black soils across parts of the Deccan support extensive cotton cultivation.
Chota Nagpur Plateau: An upland region in eastern India known for ancient rocks and mineral deposits. It is a neighboring plateau with a different position and geological history.
Indian Peninsula: The triangular landmass of southern Asia extending into the Indian Ocean. The plateau occupies much of this larger landform.
Flood basalt: A large igneous province formed by repeated, extensive eruptions of low-viscosity basaltic lava. The Deccan Traps are among the world’s largest examples of this volcanic landform.
Rain shadow: A dry region on the leeward side of a mountain range, sheltered from prevailing rainfall. The Western Ghats leave much of the interior plateau drier than India’s west coast.
Mysore Plateau: A highland region in southern Karnataka forming part of the southern Deccan Plateau. Its rolling uplands are a distinct regional expression of the larger plateau.
Western Ghats: A mountain chain running along the western edge of peninsular India. This escarpment marks much of the plateau’s western margin.
Black soil: A clay-rich soil that commonly develops over basalt and retains moisture strongly. Weathering of Deccan basalt produces the region’s characteristic black soils.

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