Why plateau region is important for india

On the basis of homogeneity, continuity and physiographic characteristics, Odisha has been divided into five major morphological regions : the Odisha Coastal Plain in the east, the Middle Mountainous and Highlands Region, the Central plateaus, the western rolling uplands and the major flood plains.

The Odisha Coastal Plains are the depositional landforms of recent origin and geological belong to the Post-Tertiary Period. The 75 meter contour line delimits their western boundary and differentiates them from the Middle Mountainous Region. This region stretches from the West Bengal border, i. This region is the combination of several deltas of varied sizes and shapes formed by the major rivers of Odisha, such as the Subarnarekha, the Budhabalanga, the Baitarani, the Brahmani, the Mahanadi, and the Rushikulya.

Therefore, the coastal plain of Odisha is called the "Hexadeltaic region" or the "Gift of Six Rivers". The North Coastal Plain comprises the deltas of the Subarnarekha and the Budhabalanga rivers and bears evidences of marine transgressions.

The Middle Coastal Plain comprises the compound deltas of the Baitarani, Brahmani and Mahanadi rivers and bears evidences of past 'back bays' and present lakes. The region covers about three-fourth of the entire State. Geologically it is a part of the Indian Peninsula which as a part of the ancient landmass of the Gondwanaland.

The major rivers of Odishawith their tributaries have cut deep and narrow valleys. This region mostly comprises the hills and mountains of the Eastern Ghats which rise abruptly and steeply in the east and slope gently to a dissected plateau in the west running from north-east Mayurbhanj to north-west Malkangirig.

This region is well marked by a number of interfluves or watersheds. The Eastern Ghats is interrupted by a number of broad and narrow river valleys and flood plains.

The average weight of this region is about meters above the mean seal level. The plateaus are mostly eroded plateaus forming the western slopes of the Eastern Ghats with elevation varying from meters.

There are two broad plateaus in Odisha : i the Panposh - Keonjhar -Pallahara plateau comprises the Upper Baitarani catchment basin, and ii the Nabrangpur - Jeypore plateau comprises the Sabari basin. There are four groups of rivers which flow through Odisha into the Bay of Bengal Table They are :. It is the major river of Odisha and the sixth largest river in India.

It is about kms. Long kms. In Odisha and its catchment area spreads over , sq. The river carries on an average about 92, million m of water. It is the second largest river in Odisha. The Brahmani is kms. In Odisha and its catchment area spreads over 39, sq. It originates from the Gonasika hills of the Keonjhar districts.

It is kms long and its catchment area spread over 12, sq. It originates from the Chhotnagpur plateau of Bihar. It is kms 70kms in Odisha and has a catchment area of 19, kms 3,kms in Odisha with a mean annual flow of 7, million. It originates from the easterns slops of the Similipala massif. It is about kms long having a total catchment area of sq. It is major tributaries are the Sone, the Gangadhar, the Catra etc.

It originates from the Rushyamala hills of the eastern ghats in Phulbani district. It is kms long with sq. In the north it is drained by the Chambal and many of its right bank tributaries like the Kali, the Sindh and the Parbati. It also includes the upper courses of the Sindh, the Ken and the Betwa. It is composed of extensive lava flow and is covered with black soils. The general slope is towards the north [decreases from m in the south to less than m in the north] This is a rolling plateau dissected by rivers.

In the north, the plateau is marked by the Chambal ravines. Baghelkhand North of the Maikal Range is the Baghelkhand. Made of limestones and sandstones on the west and granite in the east. It is bounded by the Son river on the north. The central part of the plateau acts as a water divide between the Son drainage system in the north and the Mahanadi river system in the south.

The region is uneven with general elevation varying from m to 1, m. The Bhanrer and Kaimur are located close to the trough-axis. The general horizontality of the strata shows that this area has not undergone any major disturbance. Chotanagpur Plateau Chotanagpur plateau represents the north-eastern projection of the Indian Peninsula. The Son river flows in the north-west of the plateau and joins the Ganga.

The average elevation of the plateau is m above sea level. This plateau is composed mainly of Gondwana rocks. The plateau is drained by numerous rivers and streams in different directions and presents a radial drainage pattern.

The Damodar river flows through the middle of this region in a rift valley from west to east. Here are found the Gondwana coal fields which provide bulk of coal in India. North of the Damodar river is the Hazaribagh plateau with an average elevation of m above mean sea level. This plateau has isolated hills.

It looks like a peneplain due to large scale erosion. The Ranchi Plateau to the south of the Damodar Valley rises to about m above mean sea level. Most of the surface is rolling where the city of Ranchi m is located. At places it is interruped by monadnocks an isolated hill or ridge of erosion-resistant rock rising above a peneplain. Ex: Ayers Rock in Australia and conical hills.

They run in north-south direction and rise to average elevation of m highest mount is m. These hills have been dissected into separate plateaus. Meghalaya Plateau The peninsular plateau extends further east beyond the Rajmahal hills to from Meghalaya or the Shillong plateau. Garo-Rajmahal Gap separates this plateau from the main block. This gap was formed by down-faulting normal fault: a block of earth slides downwards.

It was later filled by sediments deposited by the Ganga and Brahmaputa. The plateau is formed by Archaean quartzites, shales and schists. The plateau slopes down to Brahmaputra valley in the north and the Surma and Meghna valleys in the south.

Its western boundary more or less coincides with the Bangladesh border. The western, central and the eastern parts of the plateau are known as the Garo Hills m , the Khasi-Jaintia Hills 1, m and the Mikir Hills m. Shillong 1, m is the highest point of the plateau. Deccan Plateau It covers an area of about five lakh sq km. It is triangular in shape and is bounded by the Satpura and the Vindhya in the north-west, the Mahadev and the Maikal in the north, the Western Ghats in the west and the Eastern Ghats in the east.

Soft rock often erodes away on the top of a plateau. Many plateaus are therefore topped with a hard, durable surface called caprock. Caprock protects the plateau from erosion of the soil underneath it. Valleys form when river water cuts through the plateau. Erosion shapes plateaus in other ways. Sometimes, a plateau is so eroded that it is broken up into smaller raised sections called outliers. Many outlier plateaus are composed of very old, dense rock formations.