Tag: abiotic resources: land, soil and water

Loamy soil is composed of a mixture of sand, clay and humus. Loamy soil contains different sizes of particles. It is dark in colour.

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

Brown earth is a type of soil. Brown earths are mostly located between 35° and 55° north of the Equator. The largest expanses cover western and central Europe, large areas of western and trans-Uralian Russia, the east coast of America and eastern Asia.

Black soils are also known as regur soils. Black soil is ideal for growing cotton and is also known as black cotton soil. This type of soil is typical of the Deccan trap (Basalt) region spread over northwest Deccan plateau and is made up of lava flows. 

Alluvial soils as a whole are very fertile. Mostly these soils contain adequate proportion of potash, phosphoric acid and lime which are ideal for the growth of sugarcane, paddy, wheat and other cereal and pulse crops.

Red 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.

The black soils are made up of extremely fine i.e. clayey material. They are well-known for their capacity to hold moisture. In addition, they are rich in soil nutrients, such as calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime.