Eastern Ghats
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 in Tamil, katte, gatta, and gatte in Kannada, and katta, and gattu in Telugu.Geology
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.
Geography
The Eastern Ghats extend from north of the Mahanadi River and run approximately to the Vaigai basin in the south of Indian peninsula. It covers an area of, traversing across the Indian states of Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.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. Arma Konda is the highest peak in the mountains at.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. The central section lies in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and stretches up to the Penna River. It consists of two parallel ranges with an average elevation of and is separated by a wide gorge through which the rivers Godavari and Krishna flow. The hills continue as Javadi and Shevaroy Hills, south of Chennai and meet with the Western Ghats at Nilgiris. The Biligiriranga and Malai Mahadeshwara Hills in Karnataka extend to Talamalai in Tamil Nadu, and is separated from the Western Ghats meet by the Moyar River valley. At the southern end, the Eastern Ghats is made up of several smaller hills such as the Sirumalai.
| Section | State | Range | District |
| North | Odisha | Similipal | Mayurbhanj |
| North | Odisha | Garhjat | Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Kendujhar, Sambalpur, Subarnapur, Sundergarh |
| North | Odisha | Gandhamardan | Balangir, Bargarh, Sambalpur |
| North | Odisha | Kandhamal | Kalahandi, Phulbani |
| North | Odisha | Niyamgiri | Kalahandi, Rayagada |
| North | Odisha | Deomali | Koraput |
| North | Odisha | Mahendragiri | Gajapati |
| Central | Telangana | - | - |
| Central | Telangana | Palakonda, Antikonda, Burrakonda, Pathapatnam, Mandasa, Sompeta | Parvathipuram, Srikakulam |
| Central | Telangana | Salur, Peddakonda, Duggeru, Gurupam, Kalikonda, Sunkarimetta, Madgole-Anantagiri, Chintapalli-Sapparla-Gudem-Marripakala | Alluri, Parvathipuram, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram |
| Central | Telangana | Gurthedu, Addateegala, Rampachodavaram, Maredumili, Bison Hills | Alluri, East Godavari |
| Central | Telangana | Polavaram, Papikonda | Alluri, Eluru, West Godavari |
| Central | Telangana | Kondapalli | Krishna |
| Central | Telangana | Kondaveedu | Palnadu |
| Central | Telangana | Nallamala | Guntur, Kurnool, Nagarkurnool, Nalgonda, Prakasam, Wanaparthy |
| Central | Telangana | Yerramala, Palakonda | Kadapa |
| Central | Telangana | Veligonda | Nellore |
| Central | Telangana | Seshachalam, Lankamala, Nagari, Kambakkam | Chittoor, Kadapa, Tirupati |
| South | Tamil Nadu | Biligiriranga | Chamarajanagar |
| South | Tamil Nadu | Kambakkam | Vellore |
| South | Tamil Nadu | Javadi | Tirupathur, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore |
| South | Tamil Nadu | Gingee | Viluppuram |
| South | Tamil Nadu | Servarayan, Kalrayan | Salem |
| South | Tamil Nadu | Kollimalai, Bodhamalai, Nainamalai | Namakkal |
| South | Tamil Nadu | Chitteri | Dharmapuri |
| South | Tamil Nadu | Melagiri | Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri |
| South | Tamil Nadu | Pachaimalai | Tiruchirappalli |
Hydrology
The Eastern Ghats form one of the major watersheds of India with major river systems such as Godavari, Kaveri, Krishna and Mahanadi cutting across the range. 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.| Riparian state | Rivers |
| Odisha | Baitarani, Brahmani, Budhabalanga, Nagavali, Rushikulya, Sabari, Subarnarekha, Vamsadhara |
| Andhra Pradesh | Champavathi, Chitravathi,Gosthani, Gundlakamma, Kundu, Penna, Sarada, Sileru, Swarnamukhi, Tammileru |
| Tamil Nadu | Amaravathi, Palar, Ponnaiyar, Swetha, Thamirabharani, Varaha, Vaigai, Vellar |
The streams and rivers give rise to numerous waterfalls in the region. The region also consists of many wetlands and large coastal lagoons such as the Chilika, Kolleru and Pulicat lakes. The rivers have been dammed for hydroelectric and irrigation purposes, with major reservoirs spread across the region.