Lameta Formation

Lameta Formation as it appears in the first segment of Badlands

***“ This is the largest expansive lava to flood the Earth for 100 million years. The Deccan in Central India, a hellish place, and certainly not where you'd expect to find dinosaurs. And yet, giants risk their lives traveling here. Isisaurs, and all are females. Lava has been flowing in The Deccan for so long, that in places, it is a mile thick. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Badlands*
The **Lameta Formation** (also known as the **Infratrappean Beds**) is a formation located in the Gujarat state of west-central India, being one of the most known and most heavily-studied Late Cretaceous formations of the country.

## Description

***“ In addition to the steam, a deadly mixture of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide spews from volcanic vents. In the cool, pre-dawn air, these heavy gases sink to create a barely-visible suffocating blanket. Just a few lungfuls can kill. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Badlands*
Buried under thick layers of basalt, the Lameta Formation is usually associated with the Deccan Traps, one of the largest volcanic features on Earth. Even so, the Lameta Formation is also interpreted as alternating between semi-arid and tropical humid, with the area having its fair share of rivers and lakes, explaining the presence of a forest past the region's jagged terrain, the destination of the *Isisaurus* babies in the fifth segment of Badlands.

***“ A volcanic island in the sky, rising high above these treacherous badlands. The huge crater, a caldera, provides a safe, communal nesting ground. The surrounding sea of poisonous gases helps to keep predators away. And the in-built geothermal heating makes it an ideal incubator. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Badlands*
Ironically, the same hazardous volcanic activity in the area keeps the ground warm, an ideal place for dinosaurs to lay their eggs in. For those brave enough to venture into this area and be fortunate enough to survive the hellish conditions of the environment, these very hazards can end up providing protection against predators and nest-raiders, that is, until seasonal winds blow the toxic gases away, allowing those who took refuge in the area to leave, but also permitting hunters to enter.

***“ They're entering a low-lying area where the deadly gases are particularly thick, and for these females, something is already wrong. And worse, as the sun rises and warms the air, the gases swirl even higher. Long necks can no longer protect the herd. They must escape to higher ground, and quickly. The climb is steep, but should bring fresher air. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Badlands*
At least one study theorizes that, 350,000 years before the arrival of the asteroid that wiped out the remaining non-avian dinosaurs, all the Indian dinosaurs may have already been killed off by a massive eruption in the Deccan Traps.

## Appearances

The Lameta Formation serves as the setting of the first and last segments of Badlands. It is also given special attention in the Uncovered Segment, "Were Dinosaurs Good Parents?," showing direct evidence of the Deccan Traps being used by dinosaurs as suitably-warm nesting grounds for centuries.

## Fauna

*Isisaurus colberti**Rajasaurus narmadensis*
## Trivia

* One of the filming locations of the area, the Fagradalsfjall Volcano of the Reykjanes Peninsula, was inactive for 6000 years, and just so happened to erupt in 2021 and 2022, while the second season of Prehistoric Planet was being worked on.
	+ Ironically, the Fagradalsfjall Volcano actually stopped erupting just when the production team arrived to film in that area, so the team had to rely on eruption footage that they recorded while they were still scoping out and reviewing the location.
* There were also plans to represent the Deccan Traps with locations in Hawaii, but this was made problematic by COVID-19 restrictions.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 I Know Dino: The Big Dinosaur Podcast, Episode 444: Dinosaurs in the Badlands: Featuring 2 Producers from Prehistoric Planet 2
2. ↑ Deccan Continental Flood Basalt Eruption Terminated Indian Dinosaurs before the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary