Modern Delhi Public School

Class- 10
Geography

RESOURCES &
DEVELOPMENT
VINEETA DHANKAR
AGENDA
Soil

Significance of soil

Factors affecting the formation of soil

Classification of soils

Soil erosion and soil conservation

 Soil is the loose surface
material consisting of
inorganic particles and
organic matter that covers
What is soil? most of the land surface. Soil
provides the structural
support and the source of
water and nutrients for plants
used in agriculture. 
Significance of soil

Soil is the most important renewable natural resource. It is the medium of plant growth and
supports different types of living organisms on the earth.

Soils hold water (moisture) and maintain adequate aeration.

What is aeration?
• It is the process by which air is circulated through, mixed with or dissolved in liquid or substance.
• In industrial water conditioning, one of the major objectives of aeration is to remove CO2 .
 Factors affecting the formation of soil

Relief

Parent Rock Vegetation

Factors
Climate Time

Role of micro-organisms
 Soil takes millions of years to form a layer of soil upto a few cms. in depth.
Classification of soils

On the basis of the factors responsible for soil formation, colour, thickness,
texture, age, chemical and physical properties, the soils of India can be
classified in different types.

India has varied relief features, landforms, climatic realms and vegetation
types. These have contributed in the development of various types of soils.
This is the most widely spread and important soil

the entire northern plains are made of alluvial soil

These have been deposited by three important Himalayan river systems– the Indus, the Ganga and the
Brahmaputra Alluvial Soils
These soils also extend in Rajasthan ( Ganga Nagar District and fed by Ghagghar river) and Gujarat through a
narrow corridor

Alluvial soil is also found in the eastern coastal plains particularly in the deltas of the Mahanadi, the
Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri rivers

Consists of various proportions of sand, silt and clay

Soils are coarse in piedmont plains ( Plains formed in the foot hills of mountains. eg Northern plains)

Local names of piedmont plains:

• Duars:- Floodplains and foothills of the eastern Himalayas in north-east India around Bhutan
• Terai:- Belt of marshy land, foot of Himalayas
• Chos:- Foot hills where the river beds are broad, braided, shallow and sandy

Piedmont is a French word meaning “foot of a mountain”

 Division of Alluvial Soils on the basis on their age

• Bangar (old alluvial) • Khadar (new alluvial)

• Higher concentration of kanker • More fine particles
nodules • Highly fertile
• Infertile • Found in flood plains
• Found in upland areas

◦ Chemical composition:
◦ Adequate proportion of potash, phosphoric acid and lime
◦ Ideal for the growth of sugarcane, paddy, wheat, other cereals and pulses
◦ Soils in the drier areas are more alkaline
Black Soil
These soils are black in colour and are also known as regur soils

Black soil is ideal for growing cotton and is also known as black cotton soil

It is believed that climatic conditions along with the parent rock material are the important factors for the formation of black soil

This type of soil is typical of the Deccan trap (Basalt) region spread over northwest Deccan plateau and is made up of lava

They cover the plateaus of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and

extend in the south east direction along the Godavari and the Krishna valleys.

Saurashtra means peninsular region of Gujarat consisting of eleven districts- Rajkot, Amreli, Bhavnagar,

Junagarh, etc, and Malwa Plateau consists of MP, Rajasthan and Maharashtra
Black Soil

The black soils are made up of extremely fine i.e. clayey material. They are well-known
for their capacity to hold moisture

Chemical composition:- calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime

These soils are generally poor in phosphoric contents. They develop deep cracks during
hot weather, which helps in the proper aeration of the soil

These soils are sticky when wet and difficult to work on unless tilled immediately after the
first shower or during the pre-monsoon period.
Red and Yellow Soils
Red soil develops on crystalline igneous rocks in areas of low rainfall in the eastern and southern parts of
the Deccan plateau.

Yellow and red soils are also found in parts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, southern parts of the middle Ganga
plain and along the piedmont zone of the Western Ghats

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.

Leaching:It is the loss of water soluble plant nutrients from the soil due to excessive rainfall or irrigation.
Laterite Soil
Laterite has been derived from the Latin word ‘later’ which means brick

The laterite soil develops in areas with high temperature and heavy rainfall. This is the result of intense leaching due to heavy rain

Humus content of the soil is low because most of the micro organisms, particularly the decomposers, like bacteria, get destroyed due to high temperature

Laterite soils are suitable for cultivation with adequate doses of manures and fertilizers

These soils are mainly found in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and the hilly areas of Orissa and Assam

After adopting appropriate soil conservation techniques particularly in the hilly areas of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, this soil is very useful for growing tea and coffee

Red laterite soils in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala are more suitable for crops like cashew nut.

What is leaching
Arid Soils

Arid soils range from red to brown in colour. They are generally sandy in texture and saline in nature

In some areas the salt content is very high and 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 lower horizons of the soil are occupied by Kankar because of the increasing calcium content downwards. The
Kankar layer formations in the bottom horizons restrict the infiltration of water

After proper irrigation these soils become cultivable as has been in the case of western Rajasthan.
These soils are found in the hilly and mountainous areas where sufficient rain forests are available.

The soils texture varies according to the mountain environment where they are formed.
Forest Soils
They are loamy and silty in valley sides and coarse grained in the upper slopes.

In the snow-covered areas of Himalayas, these soils experience denudation and are acidic with low
humus content.

The soils found in the lower parts of the valleys particularly on the river terraces and alluvial fans
are fertile.

Denudation:It is an erosive processof breaking and removing the rocks from the surface of the
rocks.It is the result of two main processes-Endogenous and exogenous.

ALLUVIAL FAN:It is a triangle shaped deposit of gravel,sand and even smaller pieces of sediments
such as silt(alluvium).Alluvial fans are created as flowing water interacts with mountains,hills or the
steep walls of canyons.
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. The running
water cuts through the clayey soils and makes deep channels as gullies

What is a gully?

• A small, narrow passage or valley, usually formed by a stream or by rain.

• Gullies resemble large ditches or small valleys, but are metres to ten metres in depth or width

The land becomes unfit for cultivation and is known as bad land. In the Chambal basin such lands are called ravines. Sometimes water flows as a sheet over
large areas down a slope. In such cases the top soil is washed away. This is known as sheet erosion
What are ravines?

A narrow deep valley with steep sides

Chambal ravines consist parts of Vindhyas and Aravallis

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 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.