Indian Soils 10th Notes KSEEB Social Science
→ Soil is the thin surface layer of the earth comprising of closely interlaced minerals and organic substances.
→ Soil is a very important natural resource.
→ The Soils of India are classified into six types :
- Alluvial Soil
- Black Soil
- Red Soil
- Laterite Soil
- Desert Soil and
- Mountain Soil
→ The soil that is comprised of Alluvium is Alluvial soil.
→ The fine and newer alluvium is called “Khadar”.
→ The coarse gravel and older alluvium is called “Bhangar”
→Wheat, paddy, sugarcane, cotton, Jute, Potato & vegetables are grown on Alluvial soil.
→ Black soil or Regur soil or Black cotton soil are derived from Basalt Rocks and have high clay content.
→ Black soil is best suited for cotton, sugarcane, Jowar, Maize, Pulses, Wheat 85 Chillies.
→ Red soils are formed from the weathering of granite gneiss & other crystalline rocks.
→ Red soil is found in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu etc.
→ Red soil is ideal for Ragi, Millets, Groundnuts, tobacco & potato.
→ Laterite soils are formed in tropical areas under the conditions of high temperature and rainfall.
→ In Karnataka Laterite soils are found in the Western Ghats.
→ Only cashew, rubber, tea, coffee and paddy can be grown in Laterile soils.
→ Desert soils are formed under desert climate.
→ Desert soils have high content of soluble salts.
→ Desert soils are sandy and low in moisture and humus.
→ Mountain soils are formed due to decompositions of organic matter.
→ Mountain soils are useful for plantation crops such as tea, coffee & fruits.
→ The removal of top soil by natural agents like rivers, glaciers, winds, sea waves is called ‘soil erosion’.
→ Soil erosion depletes the fertility of the soil.
→ The main causes of soil erosion are:
- Deforestation
- Overgrazing
- Shifting Cultivation
- Faulty Methods of Cultivation
- Use of top soil for making bricks, tiles etc.
→ Protection of soil from erosion and preservation of fertility of soil is called “soil conservation”
→ GNEISS: is a metamorphic rock formed by the metamorphosis of granite or sedimentary rocks.
→ DECCAN BASALT TRAPS: are the largest volcanic provinces of the world, located, in the Deccan Plateau, consisting of multiple layers of solidified Basalt.
→ HUMUS: The organic component of soil formed in the decomposition of leaves and plants.
→ SHIFTING CULTIVATION: a form of agriculture in which an area of ground is cleared of vegetation and cultivated for a few years and then abandoned for a new area until its fertility has been naturally refreshed.
→ CONTOUR BUNDING: A land management practice for sloping and hilly land.
→ BENCH TERRACING: Are a series of level or virtually level strips running across the slope at vertical intervals supported by steps or banks or risers.
→ AFFORESTATION: The establishment of a forest on a area where there was no previous tree cover.
→ REFORESTATION: The process of replanting an area with trees.