66 Million Years Ago – Present | Navajeevee Mahakaal | Shaping Telangana’s Landscapes
The Cenozoic Era (Navajeevee Mahakaal) marks the age of mammals and the dramatic reshaping of Earth’s surface. Following the extinction of the dinosaurs, mammals diversified and flourished, while the Indian Plate collided with Asia, giving rise to the Himalayas and altering climate patterns. In Telangana, this era saw the uplift of the Western Ghats, formation of the Godavari and Krishna grabens, and carving of deep river valleys. These geological processes sculpted the plateaus, fertile soils, and river systems that would later sustain human settlements and early civilizations.
Key Geological Impact on Telangana
The collision ended India’s rapid northward drift, formed the Himalayas, and intensified the monsoon system that influences Telangana’s climate today.
As the Indian plate flexed, the western margin rose, creating the Western Ghats. This uplift tilted the Deccan plateau eastward, causing rivers like the Godavari and Krishna to flow eastwards and carve deep valleys across Telangana.
Tectonic extension formed rift basins (grabens) along the Godavari and Krishna river systems. These structures controlled sedimentation, groundwater aquifers, and created fertile alluvial plains.
Weathering of Deccan Traps basalt produced rich black cotton soil (regur), while alluvial deposits along rivers supported intensive agriculture – the foundation of later civilizations.
After the K-Pg extinction, mammals rapidly evolved – from small shrew-like creatures to giant forms (whales, elephants, horses). The Indian Plate, having separated from Madagascar (~90 Mya), continued its rapid northward drift. Around 55–50 million years ago, India collided with Asia. This collision:
– Formed the Himalayan mountain range.
– Shifted global climate patterns, intensifying the Indian monsoon.
– Altered river systems across the subcontinent.
Uplift of the Western Ghats: As the Indian plate compressed against Asia, the western margin of the Deccan block rose, forming the Western Ghats. This created a gentle eastward tilt, causing rivers such as the Godavari, Krishna, and their tributaries to flow eastward across Telangana towards the Bay of Bengal.
Formation of Grabens (Rift Valleys): Tectonic stretching along pre-existing weak zones created down‑dropped blocks – the Godavari graben and Krishna graben. These rift valleys filled with sediments (sandstone, clay, shale) that later became important aquifers and agricultural plains.
Landscape Evolution: The combination of uplift, tilting, and rifting sculpted Telangana’s characteristic plateau topography – dissected by wide river valleys, dotted with inselbergs (granite hills), and capped in many areas by Deccan Traps basalt.
Fossil Record: The Godavari valley deposits have yielded mammalian fossils (though less studied than older Mesozoic beds). Remains of elephants, hippopotami, and other mammals from the late Neogene have been reported from parts of the Pranhita‑Godavari basin, indicating a savanna‑like environment.
The Quaternary is marked by repeated ice ages (glacial‑interglacial cycles). Humans (genus Homo) evolved in Africa and spread across the world. In India, early stone tools (Lower Palaeolithic) appear around 1.5 million years ago. The Quaternary also saw the extinction of many large mammals (megafauna).
River Valley Development: The Godavari, Krishna, and their tributaries continued to erode and deposit alluvium, forming wide floodplains. These fertile river valleys became the first corridors for human settlement.
Soil Formation: Intense weathering of Deccan Traps under tropical monsoonal climate produced deep, rich black cotton soil (regur) – ideal for dryland farming (cotton, millets). Along rivers, alluvial soils supported intensive agriculture.
Human Occupation: While the earliest Palaeolithic tools in India are from the Soan and Acheulian traditions, Telangana has yielded Lower and Middle Palaeolithic tools (hand‑axes, cleavers, flakes) from the Godavari and Krishna valleys, as well as from districts like Karimnagar, Warangal, and Nalgonda. These stone tools, made from quartzite and basalt, indicate the presence of hominins in the region for over a hundred thousand years.
Megalithic Transition: Towards the end of the Quaternary (first millennium BCE), megalithic cultures (dolmens, cairns, menhirs) appeared across Telangana, marking the transition from prehistory to the early historic period.
Cenozoic Timeline for Telangana
- c. 66–55 Mya: Deccan Traps eruptions end; mammals diversify globally.
- c. 55–50 Mya: India–Asia collision; Himalayas begin to rise; western Ghats uplift; Telangana’s rivers start to flow east.
- c. 50–25 Mya: Formation of Godavari and Krishna grabens; rift valley sedimentation.
- c. 25–5 Mya: Uplift and erosion shape Telangana’s plateau; black soil formation intensifies; mammalian fossils in Godavari valley.
- c. 2.6 Mya – Present: Quaternary ice ages; Godavari and Krishna carve deep valleys and deposit alluvium; first humans appear (Lower Palaeolithic tools).
- c. 10,000 BCE – 500 BCE: Microlithic and Neolithic cultures; early agriculture; megalithic monuments.
- c. 500 BCE onwards: Historical period begins (Mahajanapadas, Mauryas, Satavahanas).
- Geological Survey of India (GSI) – Cenozoic stratigraphy of the Deccan
- Annual Reports on Indian Archaeology – Palaeolithic discoveries in Telangana
- K. S. Valdiya, Geology of India
- R. Vaidyanadhan & R. N. Ghosh, Geology of the Godavari Basin
- Telangana State Remote Sensing Centre – Geomorphology studies
The Cenozoic Era transformed Telangana from a volcanic plateau into a landscape of fertile river valleys, black cotton soils, and ancient hills. This environment – shaped by tectonic forces and climate change – was the cradle for human evolution, the rise of agriculture, and the birth of the region’s first civilisations. The story of Telangana is, at its deepest level, a story of this dynamic era.