{"id":35413,"date":"2025-01-14T18:57:30","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T13:27:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=35413"},"modified":"2025-01-16T16:45:03","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T11:15:03","slug":"deccan-volcanism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/14-01-2025\/deccan-volcanism","title":{"rendered":"Deccan Volcanism and Its Impact on Tropical Flora"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/Geography<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A recent study highlights that the <strong>Deccan Volcanism<\/strong>, despite its catastrophic effects on terrestrial fauna (such as the extinction of dinosaurs), caused only regional and <strong>short-term impacts on tropical flora.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Findings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The volcanic activity primarily led to a latitudinal shift of the Indian Plate within the <strong>Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dormant phases of the Deccan Volcanism witnessed a humid climate, fostering rapid development and diversification in tropical rainforest ecosystems instead of leading to their extinction.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The findings offer hope that tropical rainforests, if left undisturbed, can recover quickly under favorable climatic conditions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)&nbsp;<\/strong><br>&#8211; ITCZ is a belt of low pressure around the Earth, typically located near the equator, where the trade winds from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres converge.<br>&#8211; Its position shifts slightly with the seasons, based on the position of the sun.<br><br><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"222\" height=\"191\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXdLOvSPGZBHH7D2yK-2QaJzNcGg_-scnw_DQW8gXdvOHxbDxQXmuXrhmtc0eBsWnpHGHIVGdwCAyt6pDZgfV9c6DCnOW9iYO5Bt_2GTkAWnyB6BIiO8fNoXWNtmutVIBodG2CMHWw?key=qSD9cF-WhzmlTLviVgG_xg14\"><br><br>&#8211; <strong>Weather Characteristics: <\/strong>The ITCZ is known for heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and high humidity due to the warm air rising, leading to condensation and cloud formation.<br>&#8211; <strong>Significance: <\/strong>It plays a key role in global weather patterns, especially in tropical regions, influencing rainfall, monsoons, and seasonal weather changes.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Deccan Volcanism?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Deccan Volcanism refers to the<strong> extensive volcanic activity<\/strong> that occurred in the <strong>Deccan Plateau of India<\/strong>, primarily during the<strong> Cretaceous-Paleogene transition, around 66 million years ago.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This volcanic event is believed to have played a significant role in the <strong>mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs,<\/strong> though other factors, such as an asteroid impact, may have contributed as well.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"abd7a4\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #abd7a4;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"464\" height=\"367\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/01\/What-is-Deccan-Volcanism.webp\" alt=\"What-is-Deccan-Volcanism\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-35414\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/01\/What-is-Deccan-Volcanism.webp 464w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/01\/What-is-Deccan-Volcanism-300x237.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 464px) 100vw, 464px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Features of Deccan Volcanism<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Formation of the Deccan Traps: <\/strong>The Deccan Traps are a<strong> vast, layered region of flood basalts (solidified lava flows)<\/strong> covering large areas of <strong>central and western India. <\/strong>These volcanic eruptions led to the <strong>formation of the Deccan Plateau.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The volcanic rock formations are characterized by <strong>horizontal layers of basalt<\/strong> and are among the largest volcanic provinces on Earth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cause of Deccan Volcanism: <\/strong>It is believed that the Deccan volcanism was triggered by a<strong> mantle plume<\/strong> (a column of hot magma rising from deep within the Earth\u2019s mantle), which caused widespread eruptions over a prolonged period.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Impact on Climate: <\/strong>The massive eruptions released huge amounts of greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide) and sulfur aerosols, which likely led to global climate changes, including global warming and acid rain.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>These changes are believed to have contributed to the extinction of many species, including the non-avian dinosaurs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Extent of the Deccan Traps: <\/strong>The Deccan Traps cover an area of about 500,000 square kilometers in India, with thicknesses of lava flows reaching up to 2,000 meters in places.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"d8d3d4\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"392\" height=\"330\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Extent-of-the-Deccan-Traps.webp\" alt=\"Extent of the Deccan Traps\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-35416\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d8d3d4; width:382px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Extent-of-the-Deccan-Traps.webp 392w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Extent-of-the-Deccan-Traps-300x253.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 392px) 100vw, 392px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The longest lava flows on Earth <\/strong>are found in the Deccan Traps; they are estimated to flow 1500Km across India and out into the Gulf of Bengal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2092533#:~:text=The%20study%20published%20in%20the,sub%2Dmillennial%20scale%2C%20indicating%20higher\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent study highlights that the Deccan Volcanism, despite its catastrophic effects on terrestrial fauna (such as the extinction of dinosaurs), caused only regional and short-term impacts on tropical flora.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35413"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35413\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35570,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35413\/revisions\/35570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}