Erramala Rangehills, India

range of hills in western Andhra Pradesh state, southern India. The hills are situated on the Deccan Plateau and are composed of quartzites and slates of the Cambrian Period (540 million to 505 million years ago) with interbedded lavas of a younger age. The range trends northeast to southwest, and tributaries of the Kunderu River have divided it into longitudinal hills and valleys.

hill ranges of the eastern Ghāts, southern Andhra Pradesh state, southeastern India. Formed during Precambrian time (about 3.8 billion to 540 million years ago), the ranges contain sandstone and shale interbedded with limestone, are highly dissected, and have many longitudinal valleys. They are bounded by the Rayalaseema uplands in the west and northwest and the Nandyāl Valley (formed by the Kunderu River) in the northeast. The Seshāchalam Hills extend over some 3,000 square miles (8,000 square km), and their general trend is east-southeast. The Seshāchalam Hills, together with the Erramala Range to the north, vary in elevation from 1,300 to 4,500 feet (400 to 1,370 m). The hillslopes have only a thin forest cover because of scanty rainfall. Tributaries of the Penneru River drain the region. The ruggedness of the topography, the infertility of the soils, and the semiarid climate restrict agriculture. Jowar (sorghum) and peanuts (groundnuts) are the major crops. Asbestos, barite, and limestone are worked; handloom weaving, bamboo working, and brickmaking are the only other economically significant activities. Pulivendla is the only important town.

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