Minds

Red soils develop in a warm, temperate, wet climate under deciduous forests and have thin organic and mineral layers overlying a yellowish-brown leached layer resting on red layer made of iron oxide(ferric oxide). Red soils generally form from iron-rich sediments. They are usually poor growing soils, low in nutrients and humus and difficult to cultivate. These soils are developed on old crystalline rocks under moderate to heavy rainfall conditions. They are deficient in phosphoric acid, organic matter and nitrogenous material. Red soils cover the eastern part of the peninsular region comprising Chhotanagpur, Orissa, eastern Madhya Pradesh, the Nilgiris and Tamil Nadu. Their extent northwards in the west goes along the Konkan coast of Maharashtra. Apples grow well on this soil.This soil is highly porous,fine grained and deep.

What is a laterite?
Answer:
A red residual soil in humid tropical and subtropical regions that is leached of soluble minerals, aluminum hydroxides, and silica but still contains concentrations of iron oxides and iron hydroxides.
Soil layer that is rich in iron oxide and derive from a wide variety of rocks wethering under strongly oxidizing and leaching conditions.It froms in tropical and subtropical regions where the climet is humid.
Laterite is a weathering product and should be defined together with saprolite as " Residual Rock ". Residual rocks form an additional rock group of their own. As precursor of sedimentary rocks they may also be grouped within this rock group though they did not undergo considerable transport.
What are the characteristics of alluvial soil?
Answer:
Major characteristics of Alluvial Soils are:-
1)These are of Transported origin.
2)Alluvial soil as a whole is very fertile.
3)According to their age, these soils have been classified into 2 types:-
~Old Alluvium or Bhangar Soil
~New Alluvium or Khaddar Soil
4)These soils contain adequate proportion of Potash, Lime and Phosphoric acid, which are ideal