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Question
What are black soils? Describe their formation and characteristics.
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Solution
Black soils are formed by volcanoes. These soils are also known as the ‘Regur Soil’ or the ‘Black Cotton Soil’.
Features: The black soils are generally clayey, deep, and impermeable. They swell and become sticky when wet and shrink when dried. So, during the dry season, this soil develops wide cracks.
Thus, there occurs a kind of ‘self ploughing’. Because of this character of slow absorption and loss of moisture, the black soil retains the moisture for a very long time, which helps the crops, especially; the rain-fed ones, to sustain even during the dry season.
Chemical Composition: Chemically, the black soils are rich in lime, iron, magnesia, and alumina. They also contain potash. But they lack phosphorous, nitrogen, and organic matter. The colour of the soil ranges from deep black to grey.
Areas: Black soil covers most of the Deccan Plateau which includes parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and some parts of Tamil Nadu. In the upper reaches of the Godavari and the Krishna, and the northwestern part of the Deccan Plateau, the black soil is very deep.
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