Skip to main content

The Meghalaya Plateau: Landscapes in the Abode of the Clouds

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Landscapes and Landforms of India

Part of the book series: World Geomorphological Landscapes ((WGLC))

Abstract

The Meghalaya Plateau is a distinct horst located on the northeastern flank of Peninsular India. It is one of the rainiest, most tectonically active areas in the world and hosts the richest types of karst phenomena in India. The combination of its regional uplift, associated river incision, headward erosion and chemical weathering in varied lithology, has facilitated the development of diverse landforms. This has resulted in deep valleys with magnificent waterfalls contrasting with mature undulating hills and karst topography over short distances. Meghalaya is a region of great scenic beauty and is an interesting tourist destination, in addition to its importance as an area for investigating the interaction between climate, tectonics and erosion.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Berkelhammer M, Sinha A, Stott L, Cheng H, Pausata F, Yoshimura K (2012) An abrupt shift in the Indian monsoon 4000 years ago. In: Giosan L (ed) Climates, landscapes, and civilizations. Geophysical Monographs, vol 198. American Geophysical Union, Washington DC, pp 75–87

    Google Scholar 

  • Bilham R, England P (2001) Plateau ‘pop-up’ in the great 1897 Assam earthquake. Nature 410:806–809

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biswas S, Coutand I, Grujic D, Hager C, Stöckli D, Grasemann B (2007) Exhumation and uplift of the Shillong plateau and its influence on the eastern Himalayas: new constraints from apatite and zircon (U-Th-[Sm])/He and apatite fission track analyses. Tectonics 26:TC6013

    Google Scholar 

  • Breitenbach SFM, Donges JF, Kharpran Daly B, Kohn T, Kohn T (2010) Two sandstone caves on the southern edge of the Meghalaya Plateau, India. Cave Karst Sci 37:49–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark MK, Bilham R (2008) Miocene rise of the Shillong plateau and the beginning of the end for the Eastern Himalaya. Earth Planet Sci Lett 269:337–351

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gebauer HD (2008) Resources on the speleology of Meghalaya state, India. Part 1: overview. In: Laumanns M (ed) Berliner Höhlenkundliche Berichte 33, Selbstverlag des Speläoclub Berlin, Rangsdorf

    Google Scholar 

  • GSI (1974) Geology and mineral resources of the states of India, part IV, Meghalaya. Geol Surv India 30:69–90 (Miscellaneous Publication)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mazumder SK (1986) The Precambrian framework of part of the Khasi Hills, Meghalaya. Rec Geol Surv India 117:1–59

    Google Scholar 

  • Migoń P, Prokop P (2013) Landforms and landscape evolution in the Mylliem granite area, Meghalaya plateau, North-East India. Singap J Trop Geogr 34:206–228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soja R, Starkel L (2007) Extreme rainfalls in eastern Himalaya and southern slope of Meghalaya plateau and their geomorphic impacts. Geomorphology 84:170–180

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Starkel L, Singh S (eds) (2004) Rainfall, runoff and soil erosion in the globally extreme humid area, Cherrapunji region, India. Prace Geograficzne 191, IGiPZ PAN, Warszawa

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pawel Prokop .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Prokop, P. (2014). The Meghalaya Plateau: Landscapes in the Abode of the Clouds. In: Kale, V. (eds) Landscapes and Landforms of India. World Geomorphological Landscapes. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8029-2_17

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics