When large volumes of lava cool and solidify at or very near the Earth surface, which one of the following landform features may be produced?

Introduction / Context:
Igneous landforms can be classified as extrusive or intrusive depending on whether magma cools at the surface or within the crust. This question focuses on landforms produced when lava cools at the surface and asks for the correct feature among several igneous structures. Understanding this distinction is important for physical geography and geology questions.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The lava cools at or very near the Earth surface, which indicates an extrusive process.
• We must select the landform that corresponds to surface cooling.
• Options include basalt plateau, sill (spelled still in the options), batholith, and dyke.

Concept / Approach:
Basalt plateaus are extensive, flat or gently undulating regions formed by repeated lava flows that spread over large areas and solidify at the surface, typically producing basalt rock. Sills, batholiths, and dykes are intrusive features, meaning they form when magma solidifies below the surface and later may be exposed by erosion. Therefore, the only option that directly results from surface cooling of lava is basalt plateau.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify that the question refers to lava cooling at the surface, which is an extrusive process.Step 2: Recall that basalt plateaus, such as the Deccan Traps, form from extensive lava flows that solidify at the surface.Step 3: Recognise that a sill is a sheet like body of intrusive igneous rock that intrudes parallel to rock layers.Step 4: Understand that a batholith is a very large intrusive body of igneous rock and that a dyke is a vertical or steeply inclined intrusive sheet.Step 5: Conclude that basalt plateau is the only landform among the options created by surface lava flows.

Verification / Alternative check:
Textbooks on physical geography and geology usually list basalt plateaus, lava plains, and volcanic cones as examples of extrusive landforms. Intrusive landforms are clearly identified as sills, dykes, laccoliths, and batholiths. This classification directly supports basalt plateau as the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Still in the options is a misspelling of sill, which is a horizontal intrusive igneous body and forms below the surface. A batholith is a massive intrusive complex that solidifies deep within the crust. A dyke is a vertical intrusive sheet that cuts across rock layers. None of these result from lava cooling at the surface, so they do not fit the condition given in the question.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes mix up intrusive and extrusive terms, especially when the words are unfamiliar. Another common error is not reading the phrase at the surface carefully and thus selecting an intrusive feature. Keeping a mental list of extrusive versus intrusive landforms and linking them with whether magma cools above or below the surface prevents such confusion.

Final Answer:
When lava cools and solidifies at or near the Earth surface over a large area, it can form a Basalt plateau, which is the correct option.