SOIL AS A RESOURCE

FORMATION OF SOIL
WEATHERING
FACTORS THAT EFFECT SOIL FORMATION

• It takes millions of years to form soil upto a few cm in depth.

• Relief, parent rock or bed rock, climate, vegetation and other forms of life and
time are important factors in the formation of soil.
• Various forces of nature such as change in temperature, actions of running water, wind
and glaciers, activities of decomposers etc. contribute to the formation of soil.
• Chemical and organic changes which take place in the soil are equally important.
• Soil also consists of organic (humus) and inorganic materials
CLASSIFICATION OF SOILS IN INDIA
On the basis of the factors responsible for soil formation, colour, thickness, texture, age,
chemical and physical properties, the soils of India are classified in different types.
ALLUVIAL SOIL
BLACK SOIL
RED & YELLOW SOIL
LATERITE SOIL
ARID SOIL
FOREST / MOUNTAIN SOIL
 ALLUVIAL SOIL

FORMATION COMPOSITION AREAS FEATURES CROPS GROWN

Formed by ➢Soil consists of sand ,silt, • entire northern plains ➢Most widely spread sugarcane, paddy,
deposits brought clay deposited by river systems – soil. wheat and other
by different rivers ➢Soil consists of adequate the Indus, the Ganga and the cereal and pulse crops.
proportion of potash, Brahmaputra.
➢According to age soil
phosphoric acid, lime • Rajasthan and Gujarat
through a narrow corridor. is divided into two –
• eastern coastal plains in the old alluvial(bhangar)
deltas of the Mahanadi, the and new
Godavari, Krishna and the alluvium(khadar)
Kaveri rivers.
DUARS, DOON,TERAI, CHOS

• Duars are the floodplains & foothills of the eastern Himalayas in North-East India around Bhutan.Terai
are belts of marshy land at foot of mountains at the foot of the Himalayas in North India.
• Doon or Dun is a local word for valley, particularly an open valley in the Shivaliks or between the
Shivaliks and higher Himalayan foothills. Other valleys in this region have names like Patli Dun, Kothri
Dun, Pinjore Dun in Himachal Pradesh.
• Terai are belts of marshy land at foot of mountains at the foot of the Himalayas in North India.
• The southern slopes of Shiwalik range in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh are almost devoid of forest cover.
These slopes are highly dissected by seasonal streams called Chos. The networks of rivers in the north
of the plains jointed with the Shiwaliks are called 'Chos'.
 BLACK SOIL

FORMATION COMPOSITION AREAS FEATURES CROPS GROWN

These soil have ➢Soil is rich in calcium plateaus of Maharashtra, ➢These soil is black in ➢Apart of cotton soil
been formed due carbonate, magnesium, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya colour and also called is suitable for cereals,
to solidification of potash, Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and as regur soil. oilseeds, citrus fruits,
lava spread over lime. extend in the south east
➢The soil is made up sugarcane, tobacco,
large area during ➢ Soil lacks in phosphorus, direction along the
volcanic activity nitrogen and organic Godavari and the Krishna of extremely fine vegetables.
matter. valleys clayey material .
➢Can hold moisture
➢They develop deep
cracks during hot
weather, which helps in
the proper aeration of
the soil. These soils are
sticky when wet.
 RED & YELLOW AND LATERITE SOILS
Type of soil Formation Features Areas
Red and yellow Mainly formed due to ➢Generally deficit in nitrogen, humus, and Covers almost the whole tamil
soil decomposition of phosphorus nadu,karnataka,Andra
ancient crystalline ➢Rich in potash pradesh,south east of
rocks(rocks rich in ➢Suitable for rice , millets, tobacco, Maharastra,chattisgard, parts of
iron and magnesium. groundnuts. Orrisa,Jharkhand.
➢These soils develop a
reddish colour due to diffusion of iron in
crystalline and metamorphic rocks. It looks
yellow when it occurs in a hydrated form
Laterite soil The laterite soil ➢Humus content of the soil is low because These soils are mainly found in
develops in areas with most of the micro organisms, particularly Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu,
high temperature and the decomposers, like bacteria, get Madhya
heavy rainfall. This is destroyed due to high temperature. Pradesh, and the hilly areas of
the result of intense ➢Laterite soils are suitable for cultivation Orissa and
leaching due to heavy with adequate doses of manures and Assam.
rain. fertilizers and soil can be used for
cultivating tea and coffee, rubber,coconut
 ARID SOIL

FORMATION FEATURES AREAS

Due to high ➢They are generally sandy in texture andsaline in nature. Rajasthan, parts of
temperature and ➢ In some areas the salt content is very high and Gujarat
evaporation common salt is obtained by evaporating the water.
➢ Due to the dry climate, high temperature, evaporation
is faster and the soil lacks humus and moisture.
➢The soil lacks in nitrogen but presence phosphates and
nitrates make them fertile whenever moisture is available
➢After proper
irrigation these soils become cultivable as has
been in the case of western Rajasthan.
 FOREST SOIL

COMPOSITION AREAS FEATURES AGRICULTURE

The soils texture varies These soils are found in the hilly ➢In the snow covered➢The soils found in
according to the mountain and mountainous areas where areasthese soils the lower parts of the
environment where they are sufficient rain forests are experience denudation
valleys particularly on
formed. They are loamy and available.
and are acidic with low the river terraces and
silty in valley sides and
coarse grained in the upper humus content. alluvial fans are fertile.
slopes.
SOIL EROSION

• The denudation of the soil cover and subsequent washing down is described as soil
erosion.
• The processes of soil formation and erosion, go on simultaneously and generally there is
a balance between the two.
• Sometimes, this balance is disturbed due to human activities like deforestation, over-
grazing, construction and mining etc., while natural forces like wind, glacier and water lead
to soil erosion.
TYPES OF SOIL EROSION
CAUSES-

• Due to running water – gully erosion, sheet erosion

• Wind erosion
• Due to indiscriminate human activities
 EROSION DUE TO RUNNING WATER

GULLY EROSION
• The running water cuts through the clayey soils SHEET EROSION
and makes deep channels as gullies.
• Sometimes water flows as a sheet over
• The land becomes unfit for cultivation and is
known as bad land. large areas down a slope. In such cases
• In the Chambal basin such lands are called the topsoil is washed away. This is known
ravines. as sheet erosion
OTHER CAUSES

• Wind blows loose soil off flat or sloping land known as wind erosion.
• Soil erosion is also caused due to defective methods of farming.
• Ploughing in a wrong way i.e. up and down the slope form channels for the quick flow of
water leading to soil erosion.
 SOIL EROSION

CAUSES SOLUTIONS
• Deforestation, • Contour ploughing.
• Terrace cultivation
• Over-grazing,
• Strip cropping
• Construction and mining etc.
• Shelter belts
• Natural forces like wind, glacier and • Control on over grazing
water • Afforestation
• defective methods of farming • Control on minning
SOIL CONSERVATION

• Ploughing along the contour lines can decelerate the flow of water down the slopes. This is
called contour ploughing.
• Steps can be cut out on the slopes making terraces. Terrace cultivation restricts erosion.
Western and central Himalayas have well developed terrace farming.
• Large fields can be divided into strips. Strips of grass are left to grow between the crops. This
breaks up the force of the wind. This method is known as strip cropping.
• Planting lines of trees to create shelter also works in a similar way. Rows of such trees are
called shelter belts. These shelter belts have contributed significantly to the stabilisation of
sand dunes and in stabilising the desert in western India.
QUESTIONS

• Answer the following questions in about 30 words

• . (i) Name three states having black soil and the crop which is mainly grown in it.
• (ii) What type of soil is found in the river deltas of the eastern coast? Give three main
features of this type of soil.
• (iii) What steps can be taken to control soil erosion in the hilly areas?