Soil Formation Types

Soil Types and Characteristics

• Alluvial soil: formed from chemically weathered volcanic ash, found near river banks
• Bentonite soil: contains high percentage of montmorillonite, used as lubricant
• Lacustrine soil: deposited from suspension in still lake water, a type of transported soil
• Residual soil: formed from basalt, dark in color

Soils and Their Characteristics

• Black Cotton soil: contains excess montmorillonite, dark in color, used for growing cotton, also known as Aeoline soil
• Loess soil: uniformly graded wind-blown silt, slightly cemented by calcium compounds and montmorillonite, found in marshy/swampy areas
• Muck soil: mixture of fine-grained inorganic soil and black decomposed organic matter, found in marshy/swampy areas after overflow of water

Glacial and Other Soils

• Glacial soil: highly organic soil, consists of black decomposed organic matter, a type of transported soil
• Peat soil: consists of black decomposed organic matter, highly organic soil
• Cumulose soil: peat + muck, also referred to as "Talus", a type of transported soil
• Colluvial soil: a type of transported soil, also referred to as "Talus"

Red and Marl Soils

• Red soil: formed due to decomposition of plant and animal bones, found in areas of less rainfall in eastern and western ghats
• Marl soil: finely grained calcium carbonate soil of marine origin, found in areas of less rainfall in eastern and western ghats

Loam and Laterite Soils

• Loam soil: mixture of clay, silt, and sand, formed due to leaching (washing out of siliceous compounds and deposition of ferric oxide and aluminium oxide)
• Laterite soil: formed due to leaching, found in hilly regions of eastern and western ghats

Gumbo and Tuff Soils

• Gumbo soil: black, sticky, and highly plastic soil
• Tuff soil: fine-grained slightly cemented volcanic ash, transported by wind or water