The Eastern Ghats is a mountain range that stretches along the eastern coast of the Indian peninsula. Covering an area of , it traverses the states of Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The range forms a discontinuous chain of mountains along the eastern edge of the Deccan Plateau, stretching from north of the Mahanadi River in Odisha to Vaigai River in Tamil Nadu at the southern end of the peninsula. The Eastern Ghats meet the Western Ghats at the Nilgiris. The average elevation is around and Arma Konda is the highest peak in the mountains at .
Geological evidence indicates that the mountains were formed during the archeozoic era and became part of the Indian subcontinent post the break-up of the supercontinent of Rodinia and the formation of Gondwana. The mountains were formed through further metamorphism during the mid-Proterozoic era. The northern section of the range has an elevation ranging from and lies mostly in Odisha. The middle section stretches up to the Penna River and consists of two parallel ranges with an average elevation of . At the southern end, the range is made up of several smaller hills.
The Eastern Ghats form a part of one of the major watersheds of India, consisting of many perennial river systems such as the Godavari, Krishna, Mahanadi and Kaveri. Because of the higher elevation of the Deccan Plateau on the west, most rivers originate from the Western Ghats and flow eastwards to cut across the range to the Bay of Bengal. As the mountains are discontinuous and have a lower elevation, they have a considerably lesser influence than the Western Ghats on the weather patterns in India. However, orography studies indicate that the range does play a role in bringing rainfall to the eastern coastal areas.
The weather is normally dry and humid with seasonal rainfall. There are nine different forest types found in the region including evergreen, deciduous and thorn forests. The Eastern Ghats region contains a large number of different species of flora and fauna, some of which are endemic to this region.
Etymology
The name Eastern Ghats derives from the word ghat and the cardinal direction in which it is located with respect to the Indian mainland. Ghat, a term used in the Indian subcontinent, depending on the context, could either refer to a range of stepped hills such as the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats, or a series of steps leading down to a body of water or wharf. As per linguist Thomas Burrow, the word Ghat was derived from similar words used in various Dravidian languages such as kattu (mountain side, ridge, or dam) in Tamil, katte (dam), gatta (mountain), and gatte (bank or shore) in Kannada, and katta (dam), and gattu (shore or embankment) in Telugu.
Geology
thumb|[[Khondalite is one of the major rock types found in the Eastern Ghats.]]
The Eastern Ghats are an ancient orogenic belt which started forming during the collision of crustal rocks during the archeozoic era. Geologic evidence indicates that these became part of the Indian subcontinent following the break-up of the super-continent of Rodinia and the creation of Gondwana. The mountains were formed over millions of years through metamorphism, and erosion and are significantly older than the Western Ghats. The rock layers were largely formed during the mid-proterozoic era by the accumulation of silt, carbonates and basalt which later became khondalite and calcium silicate rocks. The major rock types found are charnockite, granite, khondalite, metamorphic, and quartzite.
In the mesoproterozoic era, the range was compacted and re-aligned north-east. The structure includes multiple thrusts and strike-slip faults along its range. The Eparchaean Unconformity of the Tirumala Hills is a major discontinuity of stratigraphic significance that represents an extensive period of erosion and non-deposition, which is evident from the steep natural slopes, and ravines. Along the western edge, sedimentary rocks were deposited due to volcanic activity, which and later formed schist belts. The region consists of bauxite, iron ore and limestone reserves. The major soil types found are red, black, laterite, and alluvial. It covers an area of , traversing across the Indian states of Odisha (25%), Telangana (5%), Andhra Pradesh (40%), Karnataka (5%), and Tamil Nadu (25%).
Topography
The Eastern Ghats form a discontinuous chain of mountains with an average elevation of and run parallel to the eastern coast of India along the Bay of Bengal. The Eastern coastal plains are the wide region between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal. The average width of the mountains range from with the mountains wider in the north and narrower in the south.
The range can be roughly divided into three separate sections. The northern section of the range lies majorly in Odisha and stretches from the Similipal hills in the north to the Andhra Pradesh border. It has an elevation ranging from with the highest peak at Deomali (1672 m). At the southern end, the Eastern Ghats is made up of several smaller hills such as the Sirumalai. Most rivers flow eastwards towards the Bay of Bengal owing to the steeper gradient moving from east to west. The Eastern Ghats are the source for many small and medium rivers of the east coastal plains.
{| class="wikitable sortable defaultleft collapsible" style="font-size: 85%"
|+ Minor rivers of the Eastern Ghats
Climate
thumb|Climatic zones in India
As the mountains are discontinuous and have a lower elevation, they have a considerably lesser influence than the Western Ghats on the weather patterns in India. However, orography studies indicate that the range does play a role in rainfall patterns along the coast. The range blocks winds at the low level which brings rainfall to the eastern coastal plains. The Eastern Ghats region has a tropical climate and receives rainfall from the monsoon. It is hot in the summers with temperatures reaching during summer with humidity levels of 65–75%. The northern region receives of rainfall and the lower regions receive of rain. The temperature is lowest in the winter month of January with an average of . The higher hill ranges are generally wetter and cooler with the lower parts remaining semi-arid and dry. The coastal regions experience tropical cyclones during the monsoon season. The Jerdon's courser was thought to be extinct in the wild before it was re-discovered in the range in 1986. More than 50% of the wild population of the critically endangered Indian bustard is found in the region. Two species of critically endangered vultures – Indian vulture and red-headed vulture have been reported in the region.
There are about 99 reptile species found in the region. These include Indian monitor lizard, and endemic species such as Yercaud slender gecko, burrowing limbless skink, spotted Eastern Ghats skink, and Madras spotted skink. The Indian golden gecko, and Jeypore ground gecko were rediscovered in 1986 and 2010 respectively. Other reptiles include geckos, skinks, lacertas, iguanas, chameleons, and monitors. Snakes include blind snakes, shield-tailed snakes, sand boas, cobras, vipers, kraits, coral snakes, and python. There are about 100 species of amphibians found in the region including toads, pond frogs, cricket frogs, bull frogs, burrowing frogs, balloon frogs, small-mouthed frogs, tree frogs, and golden-backed frogs. There are also about 155 species of freshwater fish from 28 families found across the waters in the region. Insects include nearly 150 species of butterflies and nine species of tarantulas amongst others.
|-
!State
!Protected area
!Declared
!Area (km<sup>2</sup>)
!District
|-
| rowspan="8"|Odisha
| Badrama Wildlife Sanctuary
| 1962
| 304.03
| Sambalpur
|-
| Hadgarh Wildlife Sanctuary
| 1978
| 191.06
| Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj
|-
| Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary
| 1992
| 147.66
| Kalahandi
|-
| Khalasuni Wildlife Sanctuary
| 1982
| 116
| Sambalpur
|-
| Lakhari Valley Wildlife Sanctuary
| 1985
| 185.87
| Gajapati
|-
| Nalbana Bird Sanctuary
| 1987
| 15.53
| Ganjam, Khurda, Puri
|-
| Simlipal National Park
| 1979
| 1354.3
| Mayurbhanj
|-
| Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary
| 1988
| 500
| Nuapada
|-
| rowspan="11"|Andhra Pradesh
| Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary
| 1978
| 235.7
| East Godavari
|-
| Gundla Brahmeswaram Wildlife Sanctuary
| 1990
| 1194
| Kurnool, Prakasam
|-
| Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary
| 2002
| 70
| Visakhapatnam
|-
| Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary
| 1990
| 356.7
| Chittoor
|-
| Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary
| 1989
| 194.81
| Guntur, Krishna
|-
| Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve
| 1978
| 3568.09
| Alluri, Eluru
|-
| Papikonda National Park
| 1974
| 1012.86
| Nandyal, Palnadu, Prakasam
|-
| Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary
| 1988
| 6.14
| Nandyal
|-
| Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary
| 1988
| 464.42
| Kadapa
|-
| Sri Penusila Narasimha Wildlife Sanctuary
| 1997
| 1030.85
| Nellore
|-
| Sri Venkateswara National Park
| 1985
| 153.32
| Tirupati
|-
| rowspan="2"|Telangana
| Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary
| 1977
| 656
| Khammam
|-
| Amrabad Tiger Reserve
| 1983
| 2611.4
| Nagarkurnool, Nalgonda
|-
| Karnataka
| Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary
| 1987
| 539.52
| Chamarajanagar
|-
| rowspan="3"|Tamil Nadu
| Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary
| 1936
| 0.3
| Chengalpattu
|-
| Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary
| 2014
| 504.34
| Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri
|-
| Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary
| 2022
| 686.4
| Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri
|}
See also
- Ghat Roads
- Western Ghats