A rare low altitude basalt plateau discovered in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra

Tags: Environment

Recently a rare low altitude basalt plateau has been discovered in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra.

An overview of the news 

• A basalt plateau discovered in the Thane region of the Western Ghats could prove to be a storehouse of information on 76 species of plants and shrubs from 24 different families.

• This rare low altitude basalt plateau has been discovered in Manjare village of Thane district by ARI team led by Dr. Mandar Datar.

• This is the fourth type of plateau recognized in this region; The last three are high and low altitude laterite and high altitude basalt plateaus.

• The discovery may help to understand the impact of climate change on species survival and raise awareness of the need to protect rocky outcrops around the world and the importance of their enormous biodiversity.

Western Ghats:

• The Western Ghats are also known as the Sahyadri Hills.

• The Western Ghats is one of the four global biodiversity hotspots in India.

• The Western Ghats are made up of a range of mountains in the states of Kerala, Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

• It is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Anamudi peak in Kerala is the highest peak in the Western Ghats.