Major landforms of the Earth: types of plateaus

Introduction:  

Geography is a vast topic and learning it is very necessary for everyone. In this, we are going to learn about the major landforms of earth. On the earth’s surface, there are majorly four types of landform. These landforms form by the various endogenic or exogenic processes. And we know the mountain is a part of a major landform. Everyone is aware of the term mountain. And nearly 33% of India’s land area is covered by mountains, fold mountains or block mountains. If we talk about another landform that comes after the mountain is “the plateau”. In India, 27%  of the land is covered by plateaus. So let’s know what plateau it is with its types.

What is a Plateau?

A Plateau is a flat land, it is flat-topped land standing above the surrounding area. It is elevated from the surrounding area but flat on the top-like table structure.

The Plateau is one of the major landforms. The plateau is a landform that sharply rises from surrounding areas at least from one side. Plateaus are present in every continent. It covers one-third part of the earth’s land surface. It may have more than one corner. Plateaus are very useful for us because they are rich in mineral deposits. Huge reserves of iron, coal, manganese are found in the Chota Nagpur plateau, India. The Deccan plateau of India is the oldest.  In Africa, the East African plateau is famous for the extraction of gold and diamond. The lava plateau is rich in black soil which is good for cultivation. Many plateaus are beautifully structured which grabs the attention of tourists. If we talk about how long the plateau stays then both young and old can live more than a hundred million years. Plateau ranges 100m to 1000m in height approx. Plateaus are one of the major landforms along with mountains, hills, and plains.

Types of plateaus: 

There are two types of plateaus are as follow:-

1. Dissected plateau
2. Volcanic Plateau

Dissected Plateau:-  There is an upward movement in crusts of the earth which forms dissected plateaus. This upward movement was caused due to the collisions occurring in tectonic plates. A dissected plateau is formed by the plateau whose pieces are broken down into numerous smaller particles. A dissected plateau has intensely eroded so that its relief becomes sharp. It is elevated from sea level.  The Colorado Plateau, Tibetan plateau are examples of this.

Volcanic Plateau:- Volcanic plateau is formed by volcanic eruptions. Numerous small particles have slowly built up since old times. The flow of lava from these eruptions forms a plateau known as the volcanic plateau. The volcanic plateau rises by the activity of volcanic eruption.  Further Volcanic plateaus are of two types: Lava plateau and Pyroclastic plateaus. Examples of volcanic plateaus are The Antrim plateau in Northern Ireland, The Deccan plateau in India, and The Columbia plateau in the United States. 

Lava Plateaus: – This plateau is formed by numerous eruptions. It is formed when eruptions occur and some volcano fluid remains in that extensive area. The lava creates a large and flat surface of igneous rock. Sometimes it is part of a single volcano. An example of this plateau is Ontong Java Plateau.

 Pyroclastic Plateaus: – Pyroclastic plateaus are called ignimbrite plateaus too. They are formed by massive pyroclastic flows underlain by pyroclastic rocks cemented into tufts, mafic, and felsic. An example of this plateau is Shirasu-Daichi and the North Island Plateau in New Zealand.

Tectonic Plateau:- These plateaus are formed by the movement caused by the earth which uplifts the uniformed altitude. Examples of these plateaus are Meseta of Central Iberia and Harz of Germany.

Where are Plateaus located majorly?

Plateaus are majorly found in three regions that are mountains region, desert regions, Under oceans.

Disadvantages of Plateau:

There are the following disadvantages of plateaux:-

• Some plateaus are inaccessible because they are surrounded by mountains which act as an obstacle. So, if they want to make roads, railway lines in that area they face a major problem due to that plateau.
• Due to no rains, most of the plateaus are dry.
• Continuous erosion of the surface by which we face slow development in the agricultural area.

Advantages of Plateau:-

There are the following advantages of plateaus:-

• Plateaus are also called houses of minerals. They are rich in minerals. In India, it is observed that iron, coal, etc are extracted from the plateau, and in Africa gold and silver were found in plateaus.
• We see many waterfalls that are in plateaus. Some famous waterfall plateaus are Hundru falls and Jog falls.
• Lava plateau is rich in black soil and we know black soil is good for cultivation hence they help in agriculture.
• Plateaus play an important role in the working of the ecosystem. Yes, it has some disadvantages also but if there is no plateau we have to face a lot of problems in our ecosystem.

Causes Of Plateaus:

There are several reasons by which plateau formed:-

1. Thermal Expansion – Some of the plateaus are formed by the thermal expansion of the lithosphere. Examples of plateaus that are formed by thermal expansion are The massif Central in France, Ethiopian Plateau in Africa.
2. Volcanism – Some plateaus are formed by flood basalts. Examples of plateaus that are formed by volcanism are India Peninsular Plateau, Canadian Shield.
3. Crustal Shortening- In this, the thrusting or the collision of one block of earth crust to another block of crusts forms a plateau. Plateaus which are formed by these processes are in North Africa, Turkey, Iran, Tibet.

Indian Peninsular Plateau:- 

It is formed by the breaking of Gondwanaland. It is a tableland structure formed by a composition of igneous rocks and metamorphic rocks. There are many features of this plateau like this plateau has broad and shallow valleys. Central highlands and Deccan plateau are the two parts of the Indian peninsular plateau. Deccan Trap is also a part of the peninsular plateau.

Some Famous Plateaus are –  Deccan plateau in India, the Chotanagpur plateau (famous for iron and manganese) in India, Tibetan Plateau in China, Katanga Plateau (famous for copper mining) in Congo, East African Plateau.

Conclusion: 

Landform is a natural or artificial feature of the solid surface of the Earth or other planetary body. Landforms together make up a given terrain, and their arrangement in the landscape is known as topography. The Plateau is one of the major landforms. The plateau is a landform that sharply rises from surrounding areas at least from one side.