The Deccan Trap is a thick series of late cretaceous basaltic lava flows that occupy approximately 500000 square kilometres of peninsular India. This basaltic lava soil has been eroded step by step as a result of erosion, and it is known as the Deccan trap. This Deccan trap is common throughout the Deccan plateau, which includes Saurashtra, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and portions of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Potentials of Deccan Traps:
- Bellary-Chitradurga-Chikmaglur-Tumkur belt: Karnataka has large reserves of iron ore. The Kudremukh mines situated in the Western Ghats of Karnataka are a 100% export unit. Kudremukh mines are known to be one of the largest iron ore deposits and the ore from this mine is transported as slurry through a pipeline to a port near Mangalore.
- Maharashtra – Goa Belt: This belt comprises the state of Goa and Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. The ores of this belt are not of very high quality, but they are exploited efficiently and it is exported through Marmagao port.
Hence, the older rocks (Deccan Traps) have syncline for potential groundwater resources. It will be done under the Jal Jeevan Mission (Maharashtra will be the first state).