Examine the paleoclimatic and tectonic evolution of the Indian plate: Statement I: The massive outpouring of flood basalts known as the Deccan Traps occurred when the northward-drifting Indian plate passed over the Réunion mantle plume during the Late Cretaceous epoch. Statement II: The northward drift of the Indian plate was initiated immediately following its breakup from the northern supercontinent of Laurasia during the early Paleozoic era. Which of the following is correct?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Statement I is correct because the Deccan Traps volcanism was triggered by the Indian subcontinent moving over the Réunion hotspot around 66 million years ago. Statement II is incorrect because India broke away from Gondwanaland in the southern hemisphere during the Mesozoic era, not from Laurasia during the Paleozoic era. This tectonic journey carried the Indian plate across the equator toward its collision with Eurasia, shaping the physical geography of the entire subcontinent.