The Deccan Plateau is the basis of the Hindustan Peninsula. On the map, it is 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 its 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
Dean is India's largest plateau. 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-Gan plain is located on its northern part, and the Malabar coast on the southern. On the western and eastern edges are the borders expressed by mountain ranges. They are called Western and Eastern Ghats.
The Deccan Plateau has the peculiarity of slightly dodging the east coast. For this reason, the entire drain of inland waters of this territory falls on 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
Highlands Dean - part of the Indian platform. Its base is composed of Archean and Proterozoic gneisses, quartzites, schists and small granites.
The relief of the plateau consists of stepped plains typical of 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 by basalts. Average heights - 600-900 m.
The name "trapp" is taken from the Swedish language, which means "staircase" in translation. But it is not in vain that they received 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 sites that can be observed on the Deccan Plateau are considered the largest volcanic formations of this type on Earth.
In addition to traps, mountain peaks rise along the territory of the plateau. They can stand alone or in a nearby mountain range. All of them are denudation table mountains, the average height of which is 1,500-1,800 m.
Climate
The most favorable climate of all South Asia, the subequatorial monsoon type, is characteristic of the Deccan Plateau. The highest heat levels occur in May. During this period, the thermometer rises to + 28 ... + 32 ° C. But January is considered the coldest. The temperature this month drops to + 21 ° C. There are no frosty days on the plateau. Precipitation is not evenly distributed throughout the area. Most of them fall on the eastern and western outskirts (windward slopes) - 2,500-3,000 mm. In the central part, the average annual rainfall reaches 900 mm. Most often they fall in the form of rains in the summer.
Inland waters and soils
Large rivers of India flow through the territory of the plateau - Mahanadi, Godavari, Kaveri, Narmada.
The Deccan Plateau is covered with fertile black tropical soils. Currently, more than 60% of this area is plowed up with the goal of developing agriculture in this region.
From the vegetation here you can find monsoon deciduous forests, which mainly consist of such trees as bamboo, teak, sal. Also, this area is characterized by woodlands and dry savannahs.
Minerals
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 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 Dean is located and what are its features.