A History of Agriculture in India v1.c7.11

v1.c7.11

The continent of Gondwanaland had split up into its integral parts towards the latter part of the upper Cretaceous. The drifting apart of the continents was facilitated by the great overflow of lavas, such as the Stromberg lavas of South Africa, the Serra Geral volcanics of South America and the Deccan traps of India. As a result of these earth movements, considerable parts of the marginal areas of the Gondwanaland broke off and sank into the oceans. The Tethys had already been shallowed in the upper Cretaceous. The intermittent mountain building continued throughout the Tertiary, as a consequence of which the great mountain systems, such as the Atlas, the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Caucasus, the Himalayas and the Malay Arc, were formed.