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A block mountain of ancient rock lifted between two rift valleys — the Narmada to its north, the Tapi to its south.

The Satpuras are a classic block mountain (horst): a slab of old crust standing high between the down-faulted Narmada and Tapi rifts. Their rocks span Precambrian gneiss, Gondwana sandstones and Deccan basalt, and the range runs east–west against the usual grain of Indian relief.

Pachmarhi, the highest point, rests on Gondwana sandstones rich in fossil plants and early reptiles. The range is also a biogeographic barrier, with tiger reserves such as Kanha and Pench along its flanks.

Sources

• Geological Survey of India

A short reference note: this summary draws on third-party sources such as the Geological Survey of India and Wikipedia. In time I plan to give every geological feature its own learning-oriented write-up — with custom diagrams, graphs, and study pointers — as I’ve already done for the 11 locations that have an Instagram reel.