Deccanplatons

The Deccan Traps, also known as the Deccan Plateau, is a large igneous province located in west-central India. It is one of the largest volcanic features on Earth, covering an area of approximately 500,000 square kilometers. The formation of the Deccan Traps is believed to have occurred over a period of about 1 million years, beginning around 66 million years ago. This immense volcanic activity is thought to be linked to a mantle plume, a hotspot in the Earth's mantle that caused widespread volcanic eruptions.

The eruptions resulted in vast outpourings of basaltic lava that flowed across the landscape, forming thick, layered sequences of rock. These layers, or "traps" in Swedish, give the region its name. The topography of the Deccan Traps is characterized by flat-topped hills and stepped hills, a direct result of the layered lava flows. The rock formations are primarily composed of tholeiitic basalt.

The Deccan Traps are of significant scientific interest, particularly due to their temporal association with the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event, which wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs. While the impact of the Chicxulub asteroid is widely accepted as the primary cause of the extinction, the role of the Deccan Traps' volcanism in contributing to climate change and exacerbating the extinction event is still a subject of ongoing research and debate among scientists. The weathering of these basaltic rocks has also contributed to the rich, fertile black soils (regur soil) found in the region, which are highly suitable for agriculture.