Question

Give reasons for the following.

Laterite soil is largely found in Kerala.

Answer 1

1. Heavy tropical monsoon rainfall, intense seasonal rains cause strong chemical weathering and removal of soluble minerals (leaching), a key step in laterite formation.
2. High temperature with alternate wet and dry periods, the wet season promotes leaching while the dry season oxidizes and hardens the residual iron/aluminium-rich soil into laterite.
3. Hilly topography of the Western Ghats in Kerala, steep slopes give good drainage and continuous fresh rock exposure, accelerating weathering and laterization.
4. Appropriate parent rocks (weathered igneous/metamorphic rocks), these provide the iron and aluminium residues that concentrate to form laterite.
5. Removal of silica and bases by leaching leaves behind iron and aluminium oxides (reddish laterite), which is characteristic of soils in Kerala’s climate.
6. Historical tropical forest cover and heavy rainfall regimes, these ecological conditions favor the pedogenic processes (leaching and laterization) common in Kerala.