Peninsular Block is an Indian plate that was once a component of the Gondwana land/plate, which split apart throughout geological time and moved in various directions as the Indian plate, Australian plate, Antarctica plate, African plate, and so on. The Indian Peninsular Plateau is an uneven triangle that rises from a height of 150 metres above the river lowlands to a height of 600-900 metres. This article will explain to you about the Peninsular Block which will be helpful in Geography preparation for the UPSC Civil service exam.

India’s Peninsular Block

What is India’s Peninsular Block?

• The Peninsular plateau is defined by the Delhi ridge in the northwest (an extension of the Aravallis), the Rajmahal Hills in the east, the Gir range in the west, and the Cardamom Hills in the south.
• The Plateau of Peninsular India is another name for the Peninsular Plateau of India.
• It is one of India's most important physiographic features.
• The Peninsular Block's northern boundary is an irregular line that runs from Kachchh near Delhi to the western slope of the Aravali Range, then roughly parallel to the Yamuna and Ganga as far as the Rajmahal Hills and the Ganga delta.
• Tors, block mountains, rift valleys, spurs, bare rocky structures, series of hummocky hills, and wall-like quartzite dykes are some of the region's key physiographic characteristics, which provide natural water storage sites.
• The plateau's western and northern corners are dominated by black dirt.
• This Peninsular plateau has been uplifted and submerged several times, with crustal faulting and cracks in between (Because of its recurrent seismic activity, the Bhima fault deserves special attention.) .
• The relief of the Peninsular plateau has become more varied as a result of these spatial changes.
• The plateau's northwestern section has a complicated terrain with ravines and gorges.
• Chambal, Bhind, and Morena ravines are some of the most well-known examples.

Climate of India’s Peninsular Block

• The region's climate ranges from semi-arid in the north to tropical in the majority of the region, with distinct wet and dry seasons.
• The driest areas are Rayalaseema and Vidarbha.
• The monsoon season, which lasts from June to October, brings a lot of rain.
• The months of March to June can be extremely dry and hot, with temperatures regularly exceeding 35 degrees Celsius.
• The climate on the plateau is drier than on the coasts, and it can be arid in places.

Minor Plateaus in the Peninsular Plateau

Marwar Plateau or Mewar Plateau

• It is the eastern Rajasthan plateau. [The Marwar plain is west of Aravalis, while the Marwar plateau is east.]
• The average elevation is 250-500 metres above sea level, with an eastward slope.
• Sandstone, shales, and limestones from the Vindhyan period make up the structure.
• The Banas river and its tributaries [Berach and Khari rivers] rise in the Aravali Range and flow northwest into the Chambal river.
• These rives' erosional activity gives the plateau's top the appearance of a rolling plain.

Central Highland

• Central Highland is also known as Madhya Bharat Pathar or Madhya Bharat Plateau.
• It is located to the east of the Marwar Upland.
• The Chambal river basin, which flows in a rift valley, makes up the majority of the plateau.
• Its main tributaries are the Kali Sindh, which flows from Rana Prataph Sagar, the Banas, which flows through the Mewar plateau, and the Parwan and Parbati, which flow from Madhya Pradesh.
• It consists of a rolling plateau with rounded sandstone hills. Here, dense forests can be found.
• Arid landforms to the north are the Chambal river's ravines or badlands [which are typical of the Chambal river basin].

Bundelkhand Upland

• To the north, the Yamuna River, to the west, the Madhya Bharat Pathar, to the east and south-east, the Vindhyan Scarplands, and to the south, the Malwa Plateau lies the Bundelkhand Upland.
• It is the old upland of the 'Bundelkhand gneiss,' which is made up of granite and gneiss and is dissected (divided by a number of deep valleys).
• It spans five Uttar Pradesh districts and four Madhya Pradesh districts.
• This area slopes down from the Vindhyan Scarp toward the Yamuna River, with an average elevation of 300-600 metres above sea level.
• The area is defined by a series of granite and sandstone hillocks (small hills).
• The erosional work of the rivers that flow through this area has turned it into an undulating (wave-like surface) area that is unsuitable for farming.
• The topography of the area is senile (characteristic of or caused by old age).
• The plateau is traversed by streams such as Betwa, Dhasan, and Ken.

Malwa Plateau

• The Malwa Plateau is roughly shaped like a triangle, with the Aravali Range in the west, Madhya Bharat Pathar in the north, and Bundelkhand in the east.
• This plateau has two drainage systems: one that drains into the Arabian Sea (the Narmada, Tapi, and Mahi), and the other that drains into the Bay of Bengal (Chambal and Betwa, joining the Yamuna).
• The Chambal and many of its right bank tributaries, such as the Kali, Sindh, and Parbati, drain it in the north. It also includes Sindh's upper reaches, as well as the Ken and Betwa rivers.
• It is made up of a large lava flow that is covered in black soil.
• The slope is generally northward [from 600 metres in the south to less than 500 metres in the north].
• This is a river-cut plateau with rolling hills.
• The Chambal ravines run through the plateau in the north.

Baghelkhand

• Baghelkhand lies to the north of the Maikal Range.
• On the west, it's made of limestones and sandstones, while on the east, it's made of granite.
• In the north, it is bordered by the Son River.
• Between the Son drainage system in the north and the Mahanadi river system in the south, the central part of the plateau serves as a water divide.
• The terrain is uneven, with elevations ranging from 150 to 1,200 metres.
• Close to the trough-axis are the Bhanrer and Kaimur.
• The strata's general horizontality indicates that this area has not been significantly disturbed.

Chotanagpur Plateau

• The Chotanagpur plateau represents the Indian Peninsula's north-eastern projection.
• They cover mostly Jharkhand, northern Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal's Purulia districts.
• The Son River flows through the plateau's northwestern corner and joins the Ganga.
• The plateau is 700 metres above sea level on average
• Gondwana rocks make up the majority of this plateau.
• The plateau is drained in various directions by numerous rivers and streams, forming a radial drainage pattern.

• Rivers such as the Damodar, Subarnarekha, North Koel, South Koel, and Barkar have developed large drainage basins.
• From west to east, the Damodar river flows through the heart of this region in a rift valley.
• The Gondwana coal fields, which supply the majority of India's coal, are located here.
• The Hazaribagh plateau, located north of the Damodar river, has an average elevation of 600 metres above sea level.
• There are isolated hills on this plateau. Due to large-scale erosion, it appears to be a peneplain.
• To the south of the Damodar Valley, the Ranchi Plateau rises to about 600 metres above sea level.
• Monadnocks (an isolated hill or ridge of erosion-resistant rock rising above a peneplain) encroach on it in some places. Ayers Rock in Australia is an example.
• The Rajmahal Hills, which form the north eastern edge of the Chotanagpur Plateau, are mostly made of basalt and covered by basaltic lava flows.
• They run north-south and reach an average elevation of 400 metres (highest mount is 567 m). Separate plateaus have been created from these hills.

Meghalaya Plateau

• Beyond the Rajmahal hills, this peninsular plateau extends east to Meghalaya or the Shillong plateau.
• This plateau is separated from the main block by the Garo-Rajmahal Gap.
• Down-faulting is said to have created this gap (normal fault: a block of earth slides downwards).
• Later, the sediments deposited by the Ganga and Brahmaputa filled it.
• Archaean quartzites, shales, and schists make up the Meghalaya plateau.
• In the north, this plateau slopes down to the Brahmaputra valley, while in the south, it slopes down to the Surma and Meghna valleys.
• Its western border is roughly parallel to the Bangladesh border.
• The Garo Hills (900 m), Khasi-Jaintia Hills (1,500 m), and Mikir Hills (900 m) are the western, central, and eastern parts of the plateau, respectively (700 m).
• The plateau's highest point is Shillong (1,961 m).

Deccan Plateau

• It has a total area of about 5 lakh sq km.
• It is triangular in shape and is bordered on the north-west by the Satpura and Vindhya, on the north by the Mahadev and Maikal, on the west by the Western Ghats, and on the east by the Eastern Ghats.
• It has an average elevation of 600 metres.
• It reaches 1000 metres in the south and 500 metres in the north.
• The flow of its major rivers indicates that its general slope is west to east.
• This plateau has been subdivided further by rivers into a number of smaller plateaus.

Maharashtra Plateau

• Maharashtra Plateau is located in the state of Maharashtra.
• It is located in the Deccan Plateau's northern region.
• Much of the region is underlain by lava-formed basaltic rocks [the Deccan Traps are located here].
• Weathering has given the area the appearance of a rolling plain.
• Horizontal lava sheets have resulted in typical Deccan Trap topography [step-like].
• Flat-topped steep-sided hills and ridges flank the broad and shallow valleys of the Godavari, Bhima, and Krishna.
• Regur is a black cotton soil that covers the entire area.

Karnataka Plateau

• The Mysore Plateau is part of the Karnataka Plateau.
• It is located to the south of Maharashtra's plateau.
• With an average elevation of 600-900 metres, the area appears to be a rolling plateau.
• It is crisscrossed by numerous rivers that originate in the Western Ghats.
• The hills' general trend is either parallel to or across the Western Ghats.
• Mulangiri, in the Baba Budan Hills of Chikmaglur district, has the highest peak (1913 m).
• Malnad and Maidan are the two sections of the plateau.
• Malnad is a Kannada word that means "hill country." It's divided into deep valleys surrounded by dense forest.
• On the other hand, the Maidan is made up of a rolling plain with low granite hills.
• In the south, the plateau narrows between the Western and Eastern Ghats and merges with the Niligiri hills.

Telangana plateau

• Archaean gneisses make up the Telangana plateau.
• It is 500-600 metres above sea level on average.
• The southern section is higher than the northern section.
• The Godavari, Krishna, and Penneru are three river systems that drain the region.
• The plateau is divided into two sections: the Ghats and the Peneplains (a vast featureless, undulating plain which is the last stage of the deposition process).

Chhattisgarh Plain

• In the Peninsular plateau, the Chhattisgarh plain is the only plain worth mentioning.
• The upper Mahanadi drains this saucer-shaped depression.
• Between the Maikala Range and the Odisha hills lies the entire basin.
• The region was once ruled by the Haithaivanshi Rajputs, whose name comes from the thirty-six forts (Chhattisgarh).
• The limestone and shales in the basin are almost horizontally laid out.
• The plain's elevation varies from 250 metres in the east to 330 metres in the west.

Human Life of Peninsular Block

• The Deccan is a melting pot of cultures and languages.
• Bhil and Gond people live in the hills along the plateau's northern and northeastern edges, speaking a variety of Indo-Aryan and Dravidian languages.
• The plateau is populated by speakers of the Dravidian languages Telugu and Kannada, which are the predominant languages in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka, respectively.
• Hyderabad is a major centre for the Urdu language in the Deccan, with a sizable population of Urdu speakers in the surrounding areas.
• The Urdu dialect spoken in this region is known as Dakhini or Deccani, both of which are named after the region.
• Tamil is spoken in the state of Tamil Nadu, which covers the southernmost parts of the Deccan.
• The state of Odisha encompasses the Deccan's northeastern reaches.
• In this part of Deccan, Odia, another Indo-Aryan language, is spoken.

Major Cities

Bangalore, Karnataka's capital; Hyderabad, Telangana's capital; Pune, Maharashtra's cultural capital; Nagpur, Maharashtra's second capital; and Nashik, Maharashtra's wine capital are the major cities in the Deccan.

Economy

• Minerals and precious stones abound on the Deccan plateau.
• Many lowland rulers fought over the plateau's mineral wealth, including the Mauryan (4th–2nd century BCE) and Gupta (4th–6th century CE) dynasties.
• Coal, iron ore, asbestos, chromite, mica, and kyanite are among the major minerals found here.
• The Tummalapalle belt uranium reserve has the potential to be one of the world's top 20 uranium reserve discoveries.
• Low rainfall made farming difficult until irrigation was introduced.
• The area under cultivation is currently quite low, ranging from 60% in Maharashtra to about 10% in the Western Ghats.
• Double-cropping is uncommon, except in developed areas of certain river valleys.

Major Crops

• Rice is the most common crop in high-rainfall areas, while sorghum is the most common crop in low-rainfall areas.
• Cotton, tobacco, oilseeds, and sugar cane are some of the other important crops. On plantations in the Nilgiri Hills and on the western slopes of the Western Ghats, coffee, tea, coconuts, areca, black pepper, rubber, cashew nuts, cassava, and cardamom are widely grown.
• Because of the Jatropha incentives in India, Jatropha cultivation has recently gotten a lot of attention.

Significance of the Peninsular Block

• It serves as a storehouse of minerals such as iron ore, bauxite, gold, copper, coal, manganese, and mica.
• Its Black Earth soils are extremely productive and are heavily planted with cotton.
• The Ghats are abundant in wood, timber, and other natural resources.
• The plateau also has Lonar Lake, which was formed as a result of a meteoric strike on Earth.
• The peninsular plateau, with its rough topography and slips, is also home to several rivers, which provide great locations for the construction of hydroelectric plants, which are critical components for a region's economic development.
• The Western Ghats offer abundant water resources.
• These rivers of the peninsular regions provide excellent irrigation for increased yield.
• The Srisailam and Koyna hydropower plants are among India's largest.

Conclusion

The peninsular plateau's terrain, which includes hills, mountains, and rivers, adds to its visual worth. The plateau is thus a home to well-known tourist destinations such as Panchmarhi and Ooty. The peninsular plateau's economic value is enhanced by a number of pilgrimage centres. The peninsular plateau is also known for the Deccan Trap, a huge basaltic region that is one of the world's largest volcanic landforms. Cotton cultivation in India is largely dependent on this Deccan trap.

FAQs

MCQs

1. Which feature characterizes the Peninsular Block of India?

A) Recent sedimentary rocks
B) Igneous and metamorphic rocks
C) Fault lines
D) River plains

2. Which region in India is known for the presence of lava flows?

A) Deccan Plateau
B) Himalayas
C) Indo-Gangetic Plain
D) Western Ghats

3. Which is not a river of the Peninsular plateau?

A) Yamuna
B) Godavari
C) Krishna
D) Mahanadi

4. What is the shape of the Deccan Plateau?

A) Circular
B) Triangular
C) Rectangular
D) Irregular

5. Which geological event led to the formation of the Peninsular Block?

A) Collision of tectonic plates
B) Breakup of Gondwana land
C) Erosion by rivers
D) Sedimentary deposition

GS Mains Questions and Model Answers

Q1: Discuss the geological and economic significance of the Peninsular Block of India.

Model Answer: The Peninsular Block is geologically significant as one of the oldest landmasses on Earth, formed from igneous and metamorphic rocks. It features plateaus, block mountains, and rift valleys. Economically, it is a storehouse of minerals like iron ore, coal, and bauxite, making it a hub for mining activities. The Deccan Trap region is vital for agriculture, particularly cotton cultivation due to its black soil.

Q2: Analyze the role of rivers originating from the Peninsular Block in supporting agriculture and hydropower.

Model Answer: Rivers like the Godavari, Krishna, and Mahanadi play a crucial role in irrigation, supporting agriculture in semi-arid regions of the Peninsular Block. These rivers, flowing eastward, are also harnessed for hydropower projects like the Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar, contributing to the region's economic development.

Q3: Examine how the geological history of the Peninsular Block influences its topography and natural resources.

Model Answer: The Peninsular Block’s geological history, dating back to the breakup of Gondwana, has shaped its topography with features like plateaus, rift valleys, and volcanic formations. Its mineral-rich deposits of coal, iron ore, and manganese are results of this ancient history, making it a critical area for India's mining industry.

Previous Year Questions on Peninsular Block

1. UPSC CSE Prelims 2020

Question: The Indian Peninsular Block was once part of which ancient landmass?
A) Laurentia
B) Baltica
C) Gondwana
D) Laurasia

Answer: C

Explanation: The Indian Peninsular Block was part of Gondwana, which broke apart over time.

2. UPSC CSE Mains 2019

Question: Discuss the importance of the Deccan Traps in shaping the agricultural landscape of Peninsular India.

Model Answer: The Deccan Traps, formed by volcanic eruptions, are covered with black cotton soil (regur), making them ideal for cotton cultivation. This region supports a range of crops, including millets, pulses, and sugarcane, contributing to the agrarian economy of Peninsular India. The soil's high fertility and ability to retain moisture help in dryland farming.