Volcanoes probably didn’t kill the dinosaurs, a big rock remains the top culprit. New research digs deep into the theory that carbon dioxide from volcanic eruptions in India helped kill off the dinosaurs.

Three of the largest mass extinctions, the Permo-triassic, Triassic-Jurassic and the Cretaceous-Tertiary, correspond with the eruptions of the Siberian Traps, the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province, and the Deccan Traps, respectively.

Flood Basalts. Flood Basalts are high volume eruptions that flood vast areas of the Earth, covering broad regions with flat lying lava surfaces. They are said to be the result of mantle convection through hot spots, which occur sporadically in time and place.

A flood basalt is the result of a giant volcanic eruption or series of eruptions that covers large stretches of land or the ocean floor with basalt lava. Many flood basalts have been attributed to the onset of a hotspot reaching the surface of the earth via a mantle plume.

The Deccan Traps began forming 66.25 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period. The bulk of the volcanic eruption occurred at the Western Ghats some 66 million years ago. This series of eruptions may have lasted fewer than 30,000 years.

The name Deccan is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘dâkshin’, meaning “south.” The west-central parts of the Indian peninsula are dominated by flood basalts which form a prominent terraced landscape; this form of flood basalt is called ‘trap’, after the Dutch-Swedish word ‘trappa’, meaning ‘stairs’.

The name Deccan is an anglicised form of the Prakrit word dakkhin or dakkhaṇa derived from Sanskrit dakṣiṇa (दक्षिण “south”), as the region was located just south of North India.

Deccan, the entire southern peninsula of India south of the Narmada River, marked centrally by a high triangular tableland. The name derives from the Sanskrit daksina (“south”). The plateau is bounded on the east and west by the Ghats, escarpments that meet at the plateau’s southern tip.

Black soil is typical of the Deccan trap (Basalt) region spread over northwests Deccan plateau and is made up of lava flows. They cover the plateaus of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh, and Chattishgarh and extend in the south-east direction along the Godavari and the Krishna valleys.

Deccan plateau

Black Soils

Which type of soil is found in the Deccan Plateau of India ? Hint: The soils of Regur are primarily present in Central India and the Deccan Plateau. The land is sufficient for growing cotton. Calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, potash, and lime are rich in these soils.

There are six main soil types:

• Clay.
• Sandy.
• Silty.
• Peaty.
• Chalky.
• Loamy.

laterite soils

Leaching of nutrients is of major environmental concern as high concentration of some ions in the drinking water is harmful to human health.

Leaching can transport chemical compounds like dissolved substances or larger materials such as decomposing plant materials, fine rock fragments, and microbes throughout the Critical Zone. In agricultural ecosystems, leaching is an important balance between preventing salt accumulation and removing nutrients from soil.

5 ways to reduce nitrate leaching from the farm:

1. Plant winter cover or scavenger crop.
2. Build soil organic matter using practices such as cover cropping and compost applications.
3. Conduct annual soil tests and use organic matter, pH, and micronutrient levels to plan your fertilization strategy.