SATHPURA RANGE

 SATHPURA RANGE

The Satpura Range is a range of hills in central India. The range rises in eastern Gujarat running east through the border of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and ends in Chhattisgarh.

·         The range parallels the Vindhya Range to the north, and these two east-west ranges divide Indian Subcontinent into the Indo-Gangetic plain of northern India and the Deccan Plateau of the south.

·         The Narmada River originates from north-eastern end of Satpura in Amarkantak, and runs in the depression between the Satpura and Vindhya ranges, draining the northern slope of the Satpura range, running west towards the Arabian Sea.

·         The Tapti River originates in the eastern-central part of Satpura, crossing the range in the center and running west at the range's southern slopes before meeting the Arabian Sea at Surat, draining the central and southern slopes of the range.

·         Multai, the place of Tapi river origin is located about 465 kilometer far, south-westerly to Amarkantak, separated across by the hill range.

·         The Godavari River and its tributaries drain the Deccan plateau, which lies south of the range, and the Mahanadi River drains the easternmost portion of the range. The Godavari and Mahanadi rivers flow into the Bay of Bengal.

SATPURA RANGE PDF

·         At its eastern end, the Satpura range meets the hills of the Chotanagpur Plateau.

·         The Satpura Range is a horst mountain and is flanked by Narmada Graben in the north and much smaller but parallel Tapi Graben in the south.

Graben: An elongated block of the Earth's crust, bounded by faults, that has dropped relative to the surrounding area.

• The watershed between the Narmada (north) and Tapti (south) rivers is formed by the range, whose name means "Seven Folds."
• The Satpura Range, which comprises the Mahadeo Hills to the north, the Maikala Range to the east, and the Rajpipla Hills to the west, has peaks that rise beyond 4,000 feet (1,200 metres).
• The eastern range receives more rainfall than the western range, and the eastern range, along with the Eastern Ghats, form the eastern highlands wet deciduous forests ecoregion.
• The Narmada valley dry deciduous woods ecoregion includes the range's seasonally dry western part, as well as the Narmada valley and the western Vindhya Range.
• The Satpura Mountains are predominantly made up of schists, granites, and quartzites that are coated with basalt lavas.
• The peaks are usually plateau-like in shape, having sharp southern slopes and gentler northern slopes.
• The hills are heavily fragmented by river valleys, and fault scarps have developed. Teak, sal, and bamboo deciduous forests cover the range.

Satpura Range - Rivers

·         The Narmada River rises in Amarkantak in the north-eastern end of Satpura and flows in the valley between the Satpura and Vindhya ranges, draining the northern slope of the Satpura range and flowing west towards the Arabian Sea.

·         The Tapti River rises in the eastern-central portion of Satpura, crosses the range in the centre, and runs west along the range's southern slopes until reaching the Arabian Sea near Surat, draining the range's central and southern slopes.

·         The Godavari River and its tributaries drain the Deccan plateau to the south of the range, while the Mahanadi River drains the mountain's easternmost section.

·         The rivers Godavari and Mahanadi empty into the Bay of Bengal.

·         The Satpura range joins the hills of the Chotanagpur Plateau at its eastern end.

Satpura Range - Climate and Vegetation

• The eastern range receives more rainfall than the western range, and the eastern range, along with the Eastern Ghats, form the eastern highlands wet deciduous forests ecoregion.
• The Narmada valley dry deciduous woods ecoregion includes the range's seasonally dry western part, as well as the Narmada valley and the western Vindhya Range.
• The majority of the Satpura range was highly forested, but the land has been gradually deforested in recent decades, with large stands of forest remaining.
• Several threatened and endangered species, including the Bengal tiger, Barasingha, gaur, dhole, sloth bear, chousingha, and blackbuck, live in these forest enclaves.
• The Kanha, Pench, Gugamal, and Satpura National Parks, as well as the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve, Melghat Tiger Reserve, and the Bori Reserve Forest, have all been designated as protected areas in the area.

Satpura Range - Significance

• The Satpura range is home to a profusion of national parks, hill stations, reserves, and cities, attracting a large number of people each year.
• Pachmarhi is sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Satpuras."
• Pachmarhi is a hill station and a popular tourist destination for trekking, fishing, and other outdoor sports.
• Its unusual species, vast biosphere reserves, numerous falls, rivers, and rugged terrain are among its many attractions.
• The highest point of the Satpura Range, Dhupgarh, is also located here.
• A graben is a valley with an escarpment on each side formed by the downward displacement of a block of land.
• A graben is frequently seen with horsts, and the two combined indicate tensional pressures and crustal straining.
• The Satpura Range is a horst, which is an elevated fault block surrounded by conventional faults.
• The Satpura and Vindhya ranges divide the Indian Subcontinent into the Indo-Gangetic plain of northern India and the Deccan Plateau of southern India.
  HORST: A horst is a part of the earth's crust that gets pushed upwards between two faults (the geological kind, of course) over time. The French Vosges Mountains and the Black Forest in Germany are examples of particularly large horsts.

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