The Deccan Traps are a large
igneous province located on the Deccan Plateau
of west-central India (between 17°-24°N, 73°-
74°E) and one of the largest volcanic features on
Earth. They consist of multiple layers of
solidified flood basalt that together are more
than 2,000 in (6,562 ft) thick and cover an area
of 500,000 km2 (193,051 sq mi) and a volume
of 512,000 km3 (123,000 cu mi). The term
"trap", used in geology for such rock formations,
is derived from the Swedish word for stairs and
refers to the step-like hills forming the landscape
of the region.