What is a Plateau?
A plateau is an elevated flat-topped landform. It is like a “tableland” that rises sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side.
Key Examples
- Tibetan Plateau: The largest and highest in the world. It stretches nearly 2,500 km from east to west.
- Deccan Plateau: Located in India, it is one of the oldest plateaus, formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago.
Economic Significance
Plateaus are often called the “Storehouses of Minerals”. Because of their geological history, they contain huge deposits of valuable resources:
- African Plateau: Famous for gold and diamonds.
- Chhota Nagpur Plateau (India): Rich in iron, coal, and manganese.
Features of Plateaus
- Soil Quality: Most plateaus have rocky, less fertile soil. However, lava plateaus (formed from volcanoes) have rich black soil which is excellent for farming.
- Waterfalls: Since plateaus have steep edges, rivers falling over these edges create spectacular waterfalls.
- Victoria Falls: Zambezi River (Africa).
- Jog Falls: Sharavati River (Karnataka, India).
- Hundru Falls: Subarnarekha River (Jharkhand, India).
- Nohkalikai Falls: Cherrapunji Plateau (Meghalaya, India).
Note
The Deccan Plateau was formed by volcanic eruptions where lava spread over vast areas and cooled down to form thick layers of rock.