What is Western Victorian Volcanic Plains?
[[File:View from Red Rock Victoria.jpg|thumb|320px|View from Red Rock, Alvie, Victoria showing craters and lakes]] The '''Western Victorian Volcanic Plains''' in [[Victoria, Australia]], also known as the '''Newer Volcanic Province''',<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/landform_geomorphological_framework_6.1 |title=6.1 Volcanic plains |work=dpi.vic.gov.au |year=2011 |access-date=18 February 2011}}</ref> are the third largest volcanic plains in world.<ref name=ra>{{cite web |url=http://home.iprimus.com.au/foo7/volcmap.html |title=Romsey Australia: Volcanic eruption risk and maps |work=home.iprimus.com.au |date=January 2011 |access-date=13 February 2011 |archive-date=28 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110228005429/http://home.iprimus.com.au/foo7/volcmap.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The biggest is the [[Deccan Plateau]] in [[India]] and the [[Snake River Plateau]] in the [[USA]]. The Western Victorian Volcanic Plains cover an area of 2.3 million hectares, more than 10% of the state.<ref name=ra/> The basalt plains were formed by volcanoes over the last 6 million years with the most recent eruption being at [[Mount Napier]] 7,200 years ago.<ref name=ra/> There are only a few rivers which flow across the plains, these are the [[Barwon River|Barwon]], [[Hopkins River|Hopkins]], [[Leigh River|Leigh]], [[Maribyrnong River|Maribyrnong]], [[Wannon River|Wannon]] and [[Werribee River]]s and the [[Mount Emu Creek]]. More than 90% of the plains have been cleared for farming.<ref name=ra/> Over 400 volcano sites have been found on the plains.<ref name=birch>{{cite book | last =Birch | first =William | title =Volcanoes in Victoria | publisher =Royal Society of Victoria | date = 1994| location =melbourne | pages =13 | isbn =0-7306-06279}}</ref> Near [[Ballarat, Victoria|Ballarat]] the volcanoes are quite close together. The plains have built up over time with many small lava flows. The average depth of the lava is about 60 metres.<ref name=birch/>{{rp|12}} Many o