The Deccan Traps of India, covering most of the Maharashtra Plateau, is an example of which type of volcanic rock?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Basalt
The Deccan Traps were built by huge fissure eruptions: runny lava poured out of long cracks in the crust, layer after layer, about 66 million years ago. This lava cooled into basalt, a dark, fine-grained volcanic (extrusive igneous) rock, and it weathers into the black soil of the Maharashtra Plateau. The step-like layers of basalt give the region its name, from the Swedish word for stairs.
Why the other options are incorrect
Option (2) Granite — Incorrect. It is an igneous rock that cools slowly deep inside the crust, so it is coarse-grained, not a lava rock.
Option (3) Sedimentary rock — Incorrect. It forms from layers of deposited sediment, not from cooled lava.
Option (4) Dolomite — Incorrect. It is a sedimentary carbonate rock of calcium and magnesium, related to limestone.