Plateaus in India

Plateaus in India consist primarily of the Peninsular Plateau, Chota Nagpur Plateau, Bundelkhand
Upland, and Central Highland, to name a few. A plateau is a piece of land with a flat top. It is a large
expanse of flat upland that is occasionally surrounded by mountains.

Escarpments, or steep slopes, typically encircle this area. Low relative relief and some altitude are
crucial components of plateaus. One of the oldest plateaus is in India's Deccan region.

Because of the abundant mineral reserves they contain, plateaus are particularly beneficial. As a
result, a large portion of mining operations are situated in plateau regions.

What is a Plateau?

A plateau is a large, flat region of land, sometimes surrounded by mountains but typically
surrounded by escarpments. Even though they are higher in elevation than the surrounding
topography, plateaus differ from mountain ranges in that they are incredibly flat. Typically, plateaus
are formed when magma rises to the surface from a deep region of the earth but is unable to pierce
the crust. As a result, the magma eventually lifts a massive, impenetrable rock above it. These
plateaus took millions of years to develop.

• There are certain plateaus that are located distant from mountain ranges, like the Deccan
plateau in central India.

• The various geologic processes that gave rise to the various plateaus are responsible for
their peculiarities.

One of the three types of tectonic processes necessary to build plateaus includes volcanism, crustal
shortening (the pushing of one block or slice of crust over another or the folding of rock strata), and
thermal expansion.

The simplest of them is the lithosphere's thermal expansion or the asthenosphere's replacement of
the cold mantle lithosphere.

Types of Plateaus

There are two kinds of plateaus:

Volcanic Plateaus

• Molten lava creates these kinds of plateaus. The earth's crust erupts molten lava, which
spreads onto the surface to create successive sheets of basaltic lava.
• The lava plateau is created when these solidify.

• The Antrim Plateau in Northern Ireland and the North Western Plateau of the Deccan
Plateau are two well-known lava plateaus.

• The Columbia-Snake Plateau, which spans an area nearly twice the size of Malaysia, is the
most impressive lava-built plateau.

Dissected Plateaus

• An angular plateau forms as the Earth's crust rises. The uplift is caused by the slow collision
of tectonic plates.

• The continental process of weathering and erosion by flowing water, ice, and winds
progressively wears down high, wide plateaus, causing their surfaces to become uneven. Dissected
plateaus are those found in the humid highlands where streams and occasionally glaciers have
carved deep, narrow valleys in the plateau.

• In countries with drier climates, plateaus are separated into steep-sided tabular masses
known as mesas and butter, which are carved out by deep canyons, rivers flowing vertically, and
wind- and river-induced erosion. This is a characteristic of semi-arid and arid areas.

• An example of a divided plateau is the Scottish Highlands.

Plateaus in India

Ancient crystalline, igneous, and metamorphic elements make up the peninsular plateau of India. It
is one of the oldest landmasses, having formed as a result of the disintegration and drift of the
Gondwana continent. The plateau contains rounded hills and wide, shallow valleys.

The Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau are the two divisions of this
plateau.
• India's plateaus are rich in mineral resources.

• Massive amounts of iron, coal, and manganese can be found in India's Chota Nagpur
plateau.

• In the plateau areas, there may be more than one waterfall because the river drops from a
great height. Two examples of these waterfalls in India are the Hundru falls on the river
Subarnarekha on the Chota Nagpur plateau, and the Jog falls in Karnataka.

• A lot of the black soil on the lava plateaus is fertile and suited for cultivation.
• One of the defining features of the Peninsular plateau is the area of black dirt known as
Deccan Trap. Since the rocks are volcanic in nature, they are igneous. Actually, the stones have
diminished over time, which is why black soil has formed.

• On the western and northern margins of the Peninsular Plateau are the Aravalli Hills.

• These are deteriorated hills that resemble broken hills. From Gujarat to Delhi, they move in
a southwest-northeast direction.

Plateaus of India: Peninsular Plateau

The Peninsular Plateau is one of the Plateaus in India. It is generally triangular in shape, with its apex
near Kanyakumari and base at the southernmost point of the broad plain of North India. It has a
total area of over 16 lakh square kilometers, and the plateau's average height is between 600 and
900 meters above sea level.

• One of Earth's oldest features is the Peninsular Plateau.

• The majority of the rivers on the peninsula run from west to east, indicating its general
slope.

• The Narmada-Tapti is an outlier, flowing in a rift from east to west.

• The Peninsular Plateau is made up of a number of smaller plateaus, hill ranges, river basins,
and valleys.

• A large portion of the Archaean gneisses and schists Rock System make up this extremely
solid block.

Types of Plateaus in India

There are a total of seven Plateaus in India. The Marwar Plateau, Central Highland, Bundelkhand
Upland, Malwa Plateau, Baghelkhand, Chota Nagpur Plateau, Meghalaya Plateau, Deccan Plateau,
and Maharashtra Plateau are the names of the seven plateaus.

Marwar Plateau

• Eastern Rajasthan's plateau is known as the Marwar plateau. West of Aravalis is the Marwar
plain, while the east is the Marwar plateau.

• The Marwar plateau dips down eastward and has an average elevation of 250–500 m above
sea level.

• Sandstone, shales, and limestone from the Vindhayan era make up its composition.
• The Banas River and its tributaries, the Berach River and the Khari River, rise in the Aravali
Range before joining the Chambal River in the northwest.

• These rivers' erosional activity gives the plateau top the appearance of a rolling plain.

Central Highland

• Central Highland, or the Madhya Bharat Pathar or Madhya Bharat Plateau, is to the east of
the Marwar or Mewar Upland.

• The basin of the Chambal river, which flows in a rift valley, makes up the majority of the
plateau.

• Its principal tributaries include the Kali Sindh, which emerges from Rana Pratap Sagar; the
Banas, which runs across the Mewar plateau; and the Parwan and Parbati, which emerge from
Madhya Pradesh.

• It is a gently rolling plateau with sandstone-based rounded hills.

• The Chambal River's ravines or badlands are to the north. Here, dense forests are present.

Bundelkhand Upland

• The Bundelkhand Upland is bordered to the north by the Yamuna River, the west by the
Madhya Bharat Pathar, the east and south by the Vindhyan Scarplands, and the south by the Malwa
Plateau.

• The Plateau, which slopes down from the Vindhyan Scarp toward the Yamuna River, is an
ancient dissected upland of the Bundelkhand gneiss, composed of granite and gneiss.

• Five districts in Uttar Pradesh and four in Madhya Pradesh make up the Bundelkhand
Upland.

• A series of granite and sandstone hillocks serve as the area's identifying feature.

• It has an undulating (wave-like surface) due to the erosive work of the rivers that run here,
making it unsuitable for farming.

• Several streams, including Betwa, Dhasan, and Ken, traverse the plateau.

Malwa Plateau

• The Aravali Range in the west, Madhya Bharat Pathar to the north, and Bundelkhand to the
east encircle the Malwa Plateau, which is essentially shaped like a triangle based on the Vindhyan
Hills.
• This plateau contains two drainage systems: one that empties into the Arabian Sea (where
the Narmada, Tapi, and Mahi rivers flow), while the other empties into the Bay of Bengal (Chambal
and Betwa, joining the Yamuna).

• The Chambal and many of its right bank tributaries, including the Kali, the Sindh, and the
Parbati, drain it in the north. It also comprises the Ken, Betwa, and upper courses of the Sindh.

• It is made up of a sizable lava flow and has black soil all over it.

• Rivers cut through this plateau's rolling terrain. The Chambal ravines in the plateau's north
are its defining feature.

Baghelkhand

• The Baghelkhand plateau lies to the north of the Maikal Range. On the west, it is constructed
of limestone and sandstone, and on the east, it is made of granite.

• The Son river forms the northern border of Baghelkhand.

• The Son drainage system in the north and the Mahanadi river system in the south are
separated by water in the middle of the plateau.

• The trough axis is not far from the locations of the Bhanrer and Kaimur.

• The general horizontality of the strata demonstrates that there haven't been any significant
disturbances in this region.

Chota Nagpur Plateau

• Gondwana rocks make up the majority of the Chotanagpur plateau, which is the Indian
Peninsula's northeastern projection.

• Jharkhand, the northern portion of Chhattisgarh, and the Purulia district of West Bengal are
included in the region.

• North-west of the plateau, the Son river feeds into the Ganga.

• The plateau has a radial drainage pattern because it is drained by various rivers and streams
that flow in different directions.

• Large drainage basins have been created by rivers, including the Damodar, Subarnarekha,
North Koel, South Koel, and Barkar.

• In a rift valley running from west to east across the centre of this area is the Damodar river.
Here are the Gondwana coal fields, which are the main source of coal for India.
• The Chotanagpur Plateau's Rajmahal Hills, which are largely built of basalt and are covered
in lava flows, are located on its northeastern side.

Meghalaya Plateau

• Beyond the Rajmahal hills, to the east, the peninsular plateau stretches to Meghalaya or the
Shillong plateau.

• The plateau's highest peak is Shillong (1,961 m).

• This plateau is separated from the main block by the Garo-Rajmahal Gap.

• Down-faulting caused this gap to appear. Later, sediments left behind by the Ganga and
Brahmaputra filled it.

• The Meghalaya plateau slopes southward toward the Surma and Meghna rivers and
northward toward the Brahmaputra valley.

• Its western border roughly corresponds with the border with Bangladesh.

• The Khasi-Jaintia Hills (1,500 m), the Mikir Hills (900 m), and the Garo Hills (900 m) are the
names of the western, middle, and eastern portions of the plateau, respectively (700 m).

Deccan Plateau

• About five lakh square kilometers are covered by the Deccan Plateau.

• The Satpura and Vindhya in the northwest, the Mahadev and Maikal in the north, the
Western Ghats in the west, and the Eastern Ghats in the east define its triangle shape.

• The Deccan Plateau is 600 metres above sea level on average. The elevation varies from 500
m in the north to 1000 m in the south.

• The flow of its principal rivers serves as a good indicator of its general slope, which runs from
west to east.

Maharashtra Plateau

• The northern portion of the Deccan Plateau is made up of the Maharashtra Plateau, which is
located in Maharashtra.

• Basaltic rocks that were formed by lava underlie a large portion of the area.

• Weathering has given the land the appearance of a rolling plain.

• The Deccan Trap topography, or step-like formation, is a result of the horizontal lava sheets.
 • Godavari, Bhima, and Krishna's wide and shallow valleys are bordered by flat-topped, steep-
sided hills and ridges.

• Regur, a black cotton soil.

Hill Ranges of the Peninsular Plateau

 Most of the hills in the peninsular region are of the relict type (residual hills).
 They are
the

remnants of the hills and horsts formed many million years ago (horst: uplifted block;
graben: subsided block).
 The plateaus of the Peninsular region are separated from one another by these hill
ranges and various river valleys.
 Aravali Range
 They are aligned in north-east to south-west direction.
 They run for about 800 km between Delhi and Palanpur in Gujarat.
 They are one of the oldest (very old) fold mountains of the world and the oldest in
India. {Fold Mountains – Block Mountains}
 After its formation in Archaean Era (several 100 million years ago), its summits were
nourishing glaciers and several summits were probably higher than the present day
Himalayas.
 Now they are relict (remnants after severe weathering and erosion since millions of
years) of the world’s oldest mountain formed as a result of folding (Archaean Era).
 They continue up to Hariddwar buried under the alluvium of Ganga Plains.
 The range is conspicuous in Rajasthan (continuous range south of Ajmer where it
rises to 900 m.) but becomes less distinct in Haryana and Delhi (characterized by a
chain of detached and discontinuous ridges beyond Ajmer).
 According to some geographers, one Branch of the Aravalis extends to the
Lakshadweep Archipelago through the Gulf of Khambhat and the other into Andhra
Pradesh and Karnataka.
 It’s general elevation is only 400-600 m, with few hills well above 1,000 m.
 At the south-west extremity the range rises to over 1,000 m. Here Mt. Abu (1,158
m), a small hilly block, is separated from the main range by the valley of the
Banas. Guru Sikhar (1,722 m), the highest peak, is situated in Mt. Abu.
 Pipli Ghat, Dewair and Desuri passes allow movement by roads and railways.

Vindhyan Range
 The Vindhyan Range, overlooking (have a view of from above) the Narmada valley,
rises as an escarpment (a long, steep slope at the edge of a plateau or separating
areas of land at different heights) flanking (neighboring on one side) the northern
edge of the Narmada-Son Trough (the rift through which the Narmada river flows)
(trough is opposite of ridge. It is a narrow depression).
 It runs more or less parallel to the Narmada Valley in an east-west direction from
Jobat in Gujarat to Sasaram in Bihar for a distance of over 1,200 km.
 The general elevation of the Vindhyan Range is 300 to 650 m.
 Most parts of the Vindhayan Range are composed of horizontally bedded
sedimentary rocks of ancient age. {Rock System}
 The Vindhyas are continued eastwards as the Bharner and Kaimur hills.
 This range acts as a watershed between the Ganga system and the river systems of
south India.
 The rivers Chambal, Betwa and Ken rise within 30 km of the Narmada.

Satpura Range
 Satpura range is a series of seven mountains (‘Sat’ = seven and ‘pura’ = mountains)
 It runs in an east-west direction south of the Vindhyas and in between the Narmada
and the Tapi, roughly parallel to these rivers.
 It stretches for a distance of about 900 km.
 Parts of the Satpuras have been folded and upheaved. They are regarded as
structural uplift or ‘horst’.
 Dhupgarh (1,350 m) near Pachmarhi on Mahadev Hills is the highest peak.
 Amarkantak (1,127 m) is another important peak.

Western Ghats (or The Sahyadris)

 They form the western edge of the Deccan tableland.
 Run from the Tapi valley (21° N latitude) to a little north of Kanniyakumari (11° N
latitude) for a distance of 1,600 km.
 The Western Ghats are steep-sided, terraced, flat-topped hills presenting a stepped
topography facing the Arabian Sea coast.
 This is due to the horizontally bedded lavas, which on weathering, have given a
characteristic ‘landing stair aspect’ to the relief of this mountain chain.
 The Western Ghats abruptly rise as a sheer wall to an average elevation of 1,000 m
from the Western Coastal Plain.
 But they slope gently on their eastern flank and hardly appear to be a mountain
when viewed from the Deccan tableland.
 South of Malabar, the Nilgiris, Anamalai, etc. present quite different landscape due to
the difference in geological structure.

The northern section

 The northern section of the Ghats from Tapi valley to a little north of Goa is made of
horizontal sheets of Deccan lavas (Deccan Traps).
 The average height of this section of the Ghats is 1,200 m above mean sea level, but
some peaks attain more heights.
 Kalasubai (1,646 m) near Igatpuri, Salher (1,567 m) about 90 km north of Nashik,
Mahabaleshwar (1,438 m) and Harishchandragarh (1,424 m) are important peaks.
 Thal ghat and Bhor ghat are important passes which provide passage by road and
rail between the Konkan Plains in the west and the Deccan Plateau in the east.
[Konkan coast == Maharashtra coast and Goa coast;

Malabar Coast == Kerala and Karnataka coast]

The Middle Sahyadri

 The Middle Sahyadri runs from 16°N latitude upto Nilgiri hills.
 This part is made of granites and gneisses.
 This area is covered with dense forests.
 The western scarp is considerably dissected by headward erosion of the west flowing
streams.
 The average height is 1200 m but many peaks exceed 1500 m.
 The Vavul Mala (2,339 m), the Kudremukh (1,892 m) and Pashpagiri (1,714
m) are important peaks.
 The Nilgiri Hills which join the Sahyadris near the trijunction of Karnataka, Kerala and
TN, rise abruptly to over 2,000 m.
 They mark the junction of the Western Ghats with Eastern Ghats.
 Doda Betta (2,637 m) and Makurti (2,554 m) are important peaks of this area.

The southern section

 The southern part of the Western Ghats is separated from the main Sahyadri range
by Pal ghat Gap [Palakkad Gap].
 The high ranges terminate abruptly on either side of this gap.
 Pal ghat Gap it is a rift valley. This gap is used by a number of roads and railway
lines to connect the plains of Tamil Nadu with the coastal plain of Kerala.
 It is through this gap that moist-bearing clouds of the south-west monsoon can
penetrate some distance inland, bringing rain to Mysore region.
 South of the Pal ghat Gap there is an intricate system of steep and rugged slopes on
both the eastern and western sides of the Ghats.
 Anai Mudi (2,695 m) is the highest peak in the whole of southern India.
 Three ranges radiate in different directions from Anai Mudi. These ranges are
the Anaimalai (1800-2000 m) to the north, the Palani (900-1,200 m) to the north-
east and the Cardamom Hills or the Ealaimalai to the south.

Eastern Ghats
 Eastern Ghats run almost parallel to the east coast of India leaving broad plains
between their base and the coast.
 It is a chain of highly broken and detached hills starting from the Mahanadi in
Odisha to the Vagai in Tamil Nadu. They almost disappear between the Godavari
and the Krishna.
 They neither have structural unity nor physiographic continuity. Therefore these hill
groups are generally treated as independent units.
 It is only in the northern part, between the Mahanadi and the Godavari that the
Eastern Ghats exhibit true mountain character. This part comprises the Maliya and
the Madugula Konda ranges.
 The peaks and ridges of the Maliya range have a general elevation of 900-1,200 m
and Mahendra Giri (1,501 m) is the tallest peak here.
 The Madugula Konda range has higher elevations ranging from 1,100 m and 1,400 m
with several peaks exceeding 1,600 m. Jindhagada Peak (1690 m) in Araku
 Valley Arma Konda (1,680 m), Gali Konda (1,643 m) and Sinkram Gutta (1,620
m) are important peaks.
 Between the Godavari and the Krishna rivers, the Eastern Ghats lose their hilly
character and are occupied by Gondwana formations (KG Basin is here).
 The Eastern Ghats reappear as more or less a continuous hill range in Cuddapah and
Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh where they are called as Nallamalai
Range [Naxalite hideout in AP] with general elevation of 600-850 m.
 The southern part of this range is called the Palkodna range.
 To the south, the hills and plateaus attain very low altitudes; only Javadi Hills and
the Shevroy-Kalrayan Hills form two distinct features of 1,000 m elevation.
 The Biligiri Rangan Hills in Karnataka (at its border with Tamil Nadu) attain a height
of 1,279 m.
 Further south, the Eastern Ghats merge with the Western Ghats.

Significance of the Peninsular Plateau

 There are huge deposits of iron, manganese. copper, bauxite, chromium, mica, gold,
etc.
 98 per cent of the Gondwana coal deposits of India are found in the Peninsular
Plateau.
 Besides there are large reserves of slate, shale, sandstones, marbles, etc.
 A large part of north-west plateau is covered with fertile black lava soil which is
extremely useful for growing cotton.
 Some hilly regions in south India are suitable for the cultivation of plantation crops
like tea, coffee, rubber, etc..
 Some low lying areas of the plateau are suitable for growing rice.
 The highlands of the plateau are covered with different types of forests which
provide a large variety of forest products.
 The rivers originating in the Western Ghats offer great opportunity for developing
hydroelectricity and providing irrigation facilities to the agricultural crops.
 The plateau is also known for its hill resorts such as Udagamangalam (Ooty),
Panchmarhi, Kodaikanal, Mahabaleshwar, Khandala, Matheron, Mount Abu, etc.