Which of the following statements is correct about laterite soil?
1. This soil is developed in areas with high temperature and heavy rainfall.
2. It is poor in iron oxide and aluminium.
Select the cor

Question

Which of the following statements is correct about laterite soil?
1. This soil is developed in areas with high temperature and heavy rainfall.
2. It is poor in iron oxide and aluminium.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — D, Only 1. Laterite soil forms under conditions of high temperature and heavy (seasonal) rainfall in humid tropical and monsoon regions, where intense leaching washes away silica and bases and alternating wet-and-dry spells harden the residue — so statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is the reverse of the truth: laterite is RICH in iron oxide and aluminium (alumina), not poor. Leaching strips out silica and soluble bases and leaves behind residual oxides of iron and aluminium, which give the soil its characteristic red-to-brick colour (hence 'later' = brick). Because only statement 1 holds, the answer is 'Only 1'.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Statement 2 is false — laterite is rich, not poor, in iron oxide and aluminium; and statement 1 is actually the correct one.  (b) Statement 1 is correct (high temperature + heavy rainfall), so 'neither' is wrong.  (c) Statement 2 is false, so 'both' cannot be correct; laterite is high, not low, in Fe and Al oxides.

Concept: Laterite soil is a product of intense chemical weathering (laterisation) in hot, wet tropical climates with a marked wet-dry alternation. Heavy leaching removes silica and soluble bases while leaving a residue enriched in iron and aluminium oxides — the opposite of statement 2. This makes laterite red, acidic, low in nitrogen, phosphate, potash and organic matter, and prone to hardening on exposure (it was historically cut into bricks). In India it occurs on the Western Ghats summits, the Eastern Ghats, and parts of Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha and the Northeast.

State PCS 2023 Q59 — Geography PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2023 Q59 — Geography PYQ with Answer