Six main types of soil are found in India: alluvial, black, red, laterite, mountain, and desert soils. Alluvial soils are most common, found along river basins and coastal plains, and are very fertile. Black soils develop in the Deccan lava tract and are rich in nutrients but lack phosphorus and nitrogen. Red soils are found in the south and east and give crops good yields with irrigation. Laterite soils form in wet, leached conditions in southern areas. Mountain soils vary by altitude in the Himalayas. Desert soils in Rajasthan are sandy, salty, and deficient in organic matter. The shear strength of soil is important for foundation, slope, and earth retaining

1. SOIL AND IT’S TYPES IN INDIA
• Soils are complex mixtures of minerals, water, air,
organic matter, and countless organisms that are the
decaying remains of once-living things. It forms at the
surface of land – it is the “skin of the earth.” Soil is
capable of supporting plant life and is vital to life on
earth.

2. Six Different Types of Soils Found in
India
1. Alluvial soil: Materials deposited by
rivers, winds, glaciers and sea waves are called
alluvium and soils made up of alluvium are
alluvial soils. In India alluvial soils are mainly
found on the Indo-Ganga Brahmaputra Plains,
Coastal Plains and the broad river valleys of
South India. They are also found along the river
basins of some plateau and mountain regions.

3. • These soils are made up of volcanic rocks and lava-flow. It is
concentrated over Deccan Lava Tract which includes parts of
Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra
Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. It consists of Lime, Iron, Magnesium
and also Potash but lacks in Phosphorus, Nitrogen and Organic
matter.
2. BLACK SOIL

4. 3. RED SOIL
• Red soils develop on granite and geneses rocks under low
rainfall condition. The dissemination of red oxides of iron
gives the characteristic red color of the soil. These soils are
friable and medium fertile and found mainly in almost whole
of Tamil Nadu, South-eastern Karnataka, North-eastern and
South-eastern Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand the major parts of
Orissa, and the Hills and Plateaus of North-east India. But
these have capacity to grow good crops after taking help of
irrigation and fertilizers.

5. 4. LATERITE SOIL
• These soils are formed due to intense leaching and are well
developed on the summits of hills and uplands. They are
commonly found in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra,
Chhattisgarh and hilly areas of Orissa and Assam.

6. 5. MOUNTAIN SOIL
• These soils are formed as a result of the accumulation of
organic matter derived from forest growth. They are found in
Himalayan region and vary in different regions according to
altitude. Tea is grown in those areas which receive sufficient
rainfall.

7. 6. DESERT SOIL
• In the desert regions of Rajasthan, soils are not well developed.
As evaporation is in excess of rainfall, the soil has a high salt
content and saline layer forms a hard crust. These soils are gen-
erally sandy and deficient in organic matter.

8. IMPORTANCE OF SHEAR STRENTH OF
SOIL
• In the design of foundations the evaluation of
bearing capacity is dependent on the shear
strength.
• For the design of embankments for dams, roads,
pavements, excavations, levees etc. The analysis
of the stability of the slope is done using shear
strength.
• In the design of earth retaining structures like
retaining walls, sheet pile coffer dams, bulks
heads, and other underground structures etc.

9. THANK YOU 
BY :
HARISH PRADHAN
R680215030
B.TECH CIVIL
4th SEM