This post is designed to help you understand the major types of soils found in India, the causes and kinds of soil erosion, and the important methods of soil conservation.
Resources and Development – Class 10 Geography Notes (Part – 4)
Classification of Soils
Red and Yellow Soils
These soils –
- Develop on crystalline igneous rocks.
- Found in the areas of low rainfall.
- Develops reddish colour due to diffusion of iron.
- Look yellow when remains in hydrated form.
- Found in eastern and southern part of the Deccan plateau, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, piedmont zone plains of Western Ghats and southern parts of middle Ganga plain.
- Crops like maize and pulses can be grown on this soil.
Laterite Soil
- Develops in the area of high temperature and high rainfall.
- Formed due to intense leaching.
- Humus content is low.
- Found in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, some parts of West Bengal and North-east regions.
- Suitable for the production of tea and coffee in Kerala, Assam, and Tamil Nadu.
- Suitable for cultivation with adequate doses of fertiliser.
Arid Soils
- Red to brown in colour.
- Texture – sandy
- Nature – saline
- Low humus content
- Kankar in lower horizons hence restrict infiltration.
- Becomes cultivable after proper irrigation (as in western Rajasthan).
Found in Rajasthan.
Crops – Bajra, maize.
Forest Soils
- Found in hilly and mountain areas.
- Loamy and silty in valley sides; coarse-grained in upper slopes.
- In the snow-covered areas of Himalayas, these soils experience denudation and are acidic with low humus content.
- Found mainly in the lower parts of the valleys.
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Soil Erosion
The removal of top fertile soil cover by natural or human factors is called soil erosion.
Human factors which lead to soil erosion:
- Deforestation
- Overgrazing
- Construction
- Mining etc.
- Defective methods of farming
- Ploughing in a wrong way
Natural factors which lead to soil erosion:
- Wind
- Water
- Glaciers
Types of Soil Erosion
Water erosion: Soil erosion caused by water.
Types of Water Erosion
- Sheet erosion:
- Common in hilly areas.
- Water flows down as a sheet and washes away the topsoil over a large area.
- Gully erosion:
- Occurs due to action of running water in clayey soils.
- Due to formation of deep channels or gullies the land becomes unfit for cultivation and is known as bad land.
Wind erosion: Removal of topsoil by fast-flowing winds.
Methods of Soil Conservation
- Afforestation
- Proper management of grazing
- Planting of shelter belts of plants
- Control on overgrazing
- Stabilising of sand dunes by growing thorny bushes
- Proper management of wastelands
- Control of mining activities
- Proper discharge and disposal of industrial effluents and waste
Source: NCERT
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