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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.
RELATED QUESTIONS
List the differences between clayey soil and sandy soil.
With reference to black soil answer the following:
Give one chemical property of this soil.
Mention two differences between Alluvial Soil and Black Cotton Soil.
Give a geographical reason for the following:
Black soil does not get leached.
State the geographical term for each of the following processes:
The process by which rainwater, flowing in a definite path, removes the topsoil, thus causing deep cuts to the surface of the land.
With reference to Red Soils in India, answer the following questions:
Mention two important crops are grown in this soil.
Name the Indian soil which is formed due to the weathering of basic igneous rocks.
Give a geographical reason for each of the following:
Terrace farming is an ideal soil conservation method for hilly regions.
name two states of India where this type of soil is found.
What do you mean by ‘Soil’?
Where are Alluvial Soils found in India?
Which minerals are found in Regur Soil?
Explain the origin of the Black Soil. Name two States in India, which have Black Soil.
Mention any two advantages of the Black Soil.
Define ‘Leaching’? In which region South of the Tropic of Cancer, can one find Soil formed by ‘Leaching’?
Mention two ways by which soil can get nitrogen.
Why Black soil is Black in colour?
Why is Red Soil ideal for dry farming?
State two differences between Black soil and Alluvial soil.
Distinguish between the following.
Alluvial soil and red soil.
Alluvial soils found in the lower courses and the upper courses of rivers.
Name the soil which
Covers the summits of the Eastern Ghats.
Name the Soil which is formed due to high temperature and heavy rainfall with alternating wet and dry periods. Name two states where this type of Soil is found?
Name one area where Laterite Soil is found in large-scale.
What is the need and importance of soil testing from the point of view of farmers?
Maharashtra -Types and Overall Distribution of Soil
Observe the map given above and answer the following questions:
- Which soil occupies most of the area in Maharashtra?
- In which areas are laterite soils found?
- Which soil is found in the river valleys of Maharashtra?
- Which soil is found in parts of the Sahyadri ranges?
- In which region is alluvial soil found?
Which one of the following is responsible for sheet erosion?
On an outline map of India, mark the areas covered by the following soil categories.
(i) Red soil
(ii) Laterite soil
(iii) Alluvial soil.
