This document provides information about different types of soils found in India. It discusses alluvial soil, black soil, red soil, mountain soil, desert soil, saline and alkaline soils, peaty and marshy soils, residual soils, marine soils, glacial soils, and wind-blown soils. For each soil type, it describes where they are found, how they are formed, their composition and properties. The document aims to educate the reader about the various soils across India and their characteristics.

1. Name: Ajay J. Rathod
Year: T.Y.D. Civil
Roll No: 80
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MSU POLYTECHINIC

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 Alluvial Soils
 Black Soils
 Red Soils
 Mountain Soils
 Desert Soils

3. ALLUVIAL soil is formed
when a soil
carrying stream, graduall
y loses its carrying
capacity with decreasing
ve-locity. In slowing
down ,
a river does not have su
ffic-ient power to keep
the large particles of soil
suspended; these
particles settle to the
riverbed. Further decrease
in velocity causes smaller
particles to settle. These
particles are deposited,
finally, at the mouth of the
river, where they form
DELTAS of fine-grained
soil.
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• It is the most important type of soil found in India covering
about 40 per cent of the total land area. It is very fertile and
contributes the largest share of agricultural wealth. This soil
supports nearly half of the Indian population.
• The alluvial soil is found mostly in the Northern Plains,
starting from Punjab in the west to West Bengal and Assam in
the east. It is also found in the deltas of the Mahanadi,
Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri rivers in the Peninsular India.
The northern parts and the coastal areas of Gujarat also have
some deposits of alluvial soil.
• Many rivers originate from the Himalayan Mountains and
bring a large amount of sediment with them. It is deposited in
the river valleys and the flood plains. Thus, the parent
material of the alluvial soils is always of transported origin.
• The fine particles of sand, silt and clay are called alluvium.
The alluvial soil can be divided into old alluvium, also called
bangar, and new alluvium, called khadar. Remember, the new
alluvium can be about ten thousand years old.

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 BLACK SOIL Also
known as Regur or
Black Cotton soil. Dark
grey to Black in color.
High clay content.
Highly moisture
retentive. Develops
cracks in summer.
Highly suitable for
cotton. Rich in iron,
lime, calcium,
Magnesium, carbonates,
and alumina.

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 The black soil is mostly found in the Deccan
Trap, covering large areas of Maharashtra,
Gujarat and western Madhya Pradesh. It is also
found in some parts of Godavari and Krishna
river valleys, covering parts of Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
 This soil is made up of extremely fine clayey
material.
 The black soil is well-known for its capacity to
hold moisture.
 The black soil has been formed thousands of
years ago, due to the solidification of volcanic
lava.
 During the rainy season, black soil becomes

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 RED SOIL Formed
due to weathering of
old crystalline rocks.
More sandy and less
clayey. Rich in iron,
small amount of
Humus. Poor in
phosphorus,
nitrogen and lime.
Slightly acidic and
do not retain
moisture. Porous
and Friable.

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 Most of the red soil has been formed due to weathering of
igneous and metamorphic rocks.
 The red colour is due to the high percentage of iron
contents.
 The texture of the red soil varies from sandy to clayey, and
the majority being loamy.
 On the uplands, the red soil is thin, poor, and porous and
has loose gravel.
 In the lower areas, the soil is deep, rich, fine grained and
fertile.
 The red soil occupies about 10 per cent area of India, mostly
in the south-eastern part of the Peninsular India. This area
encircles the entire black soil region. The red soil is found in
Tamil Nadu, parts of Karnataka, southeast Maharashtra,
eastern parts of Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa
and Jharkhand.

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 MOUNTAIN SOIL
Found in hill slopes.
Formed by deposition
of organic matter from
forest. Rich in humus.
Poor in Potash and
Lime.
 Areas: Assam,
Kashmir, Sikkim &
Arunachal Pradesh.
 Crops: Tea, Coffee,
Spices & Tropical
Fruits.

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 The mountain soil is formed mainly due to the
deposition of organic matter provided by the forests.
 This soil is rich in humus, but poor in potash,
phosphorus and lime.
 It is heterogeneous in nature and varies from place to
place.
 The mountain soil is sandy with gravels.
 The mountain soil is generally found on the hill
slopes covered with forests. In the Himalayan region
such soil is mainly found in the valley basins, the
depressions and the lesser steep slopes. The north-
facing slopes generally support soil cover. Apart from
the Himalayan region, this soil is also found in the
Western and Eastern Ghats and in some parts of the
Peninsular India.

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 DESERT SOIL Contains soluble salts. Originated
by Mechanical disintegration & wind deposit.
Porous and coarse. 90% sand & 5% clay. Rich in
Nitrates & Phosphates. Poor in Nitrogen &
Humus. Friable, sandy & low moist content.

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 The desert soil is found mostly in the arid and semi-arid
regions, receiving less than 50 cm of annual rainfall.
Such regions are mostly found in Rajasthan and the
adjoining areas of Haryana and Punjab. The Ran of Kutch
in Gujarat is an extension of this region.
 The sand in the desert areas is partly of local origin and
partly being blown in from the Indus Valley.
 It includes even the wind-blown loses.
 The desert soil has sand (90 to 95 per cent) and clay (5 to
10 per cent).
 In some regions this soil has high percentage of soluble
salts, but lacks in organic matter.
 The nitrogen content is low, but the phosphate content is
as high as in normal alluvial soil.

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SALINE & ALKALINE SOIL Contains salts like Sodium,
Magnesium, Calcium. Infertile, unfit for cultivation. Sandy
to loamy in texture.
Areas: Parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, U.P
& Maharashtra.

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PEATY AND MARSHY SOIL Occur in Humid region.
Formed by accumulation of organic matter. Black in
colour. Highly acidic and heavy.
Areas: Kottayam & Alleppey in Kerala, Coastal Orissa,
Sundarbans of W.B

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Residual soils are those that remain at the place of
their formation as result of the weathering of the
parent rocks. The depth of residual soils depends
primarily on climatic conditions and the time of
espouser. In temperate zones residual soils are
commonly stiff and stable. An important
characteristics of residual soil is that the sizes of
grains are indefinite.

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MARINE soil is formed from materials carried into the
seas by streams and by material eroded from the
beaches by the tidal action of the
waves. Part of the material is carried out and
deposited in deep water; part is heaped upon the
beaches along the coast

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Glaciers carry with them soils varying in size from
fine grained to huge boulder.
Soil get mixed with the ice and are transported far
away from their original position.
Drift is a general term used for the deposits made by
glaciers

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A type of soil
that is
transported
from one place
to another by
the wind.e.g
sand
dunes,loess.

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