write a short note on Coastal plane
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In western South America, a large coastal plain lies between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. In the United States, coastal plains can be found along the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
Coastal plains can form in two basic ways. Some start as a continental shelf, a flat piece of land located below sea level. When the ocean level falls, the land is exposed, creating a coastal plain. Sometimes, these coastal plains can extend far inland. Fossils of marine organisms have been found in the landlocked U.S. state of Kansas, for instance. Kansas was part of a vast coastal plain that formed when the Western Interior Seaway was forced to the Gulf of Mexico about 100 million years ago. The Western Interior Seaway was a large sea that split the continent of North America from what is now the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean during the Cretaceous period.
A coastal plain can also develop when river currents carry rock, soil and other sedimentary material into the ocean. Layers of this deposited sediment build up over time, creating a flat or gently sloping landscape.
1. The Coastal Plains of Gujarat: This forms the north portion of the west coast. It is quite wide. The lowland in the Kachchh region from marshes and are called Rann. In the monsoon this entire Rann region lies under water. In the past, the Gulf of Khambhat extended into the Rann of Kachchh and the Kathiawar Peninsula was an island.
2. The Coastal Plain of the Konkan: From Daman in the north to Goa in the south lays the Konkan Coastal Plain. This plain extends for 500 km but is very narrow and broken. No other coastal plain of India is so narrow. Most of the plain is formed of rock. Through the northern part of this coast flows the Baitarani River.
3. The Coastal Plains of Karnataka: South of the Konkan coast starts the coastal plains of Karnataka between Goa in the north and Mangalore in the south, for 225 km. Though this coastal plain is narrow it is wider near Mangalore 70 km. At many places along the coast the plain is sandy and at some places the Western Ghat reaches the sea. To the east of this plain lies the highest waterfall of India, called Jog or Gersoppa which falls across the Sharavati River. The height of the fall is 275 meters.
4. The Coastal Plains of Malabar: The extreme southern part of the west coal plain lies in the state of Kerala and is called the Malabar Coast. Compared to the Konkan and Karnataka Coastal plains this is the widest at 25 km on average.
5. Lagoons: There are many sand dunes, lakes or lagoons along the Malabar Coast. The local people call these lagoons Kayal e.g. the 80 km long Vembanad Kayall near Kochi and the Ashtamudi Kayal near Kollan (Quilon) are famous.
Importance of coastal plains of IndiaThe fertile plains along the coast produce large amounts of rice, sugarcane, coconut, various spices etc.Through the ports of Mumbai, Chennai, Mormugao, Kochi (Cochin) etc most of the international trade of India is conducted.Large amount of salt is produced from the northern part of the west coastal plain from sea water.Mineral Oil and Natural Gas is either being extracted or possibility of the resources being present is very probable in the river valleys of Krishna, Godavari and Kauvery.Due to the suitable environment in the coastal regions population density is very high.Related Posts: