Extra Questions for Class 10th Geography Chapter 1 : Resources and Development
VSA Type Questions based on Resources
1. What are resources ?
Answer:
Useful elements of environment.
2. What is the main purpose of resources ?
Answer:
To satisfy basic needs of mankind like Food, shelter, clothing.
3. Name three free gifts of nature ?
Answer:
Land, air and water.
4. How can we accelerate economic development ?
Answer:
Use of technology and human interaction with physical environment.
5. Name two biotic resources.
Answer:
Flora and Fauna
6. Name two abiotic resources.
Answer:
Rocks and Metals.
7. State two renewable resources.
Answer:
Solar energy, forests.
8. Name two non-renewable resources.
Answer:
Minerals and Fuels.
9. Name one individual resource in rural areas and one individual resource in urban areas.
Answer:
Individual resource in rural areas : Land owned by farmers
Individual resource in urban areas : Plots and houses.
10. Name two community owned resources.
Answer:
Parks and playgrounds.
11. What is the source of biotic resources ?
Answer: Biosphere
12. To which type of resources belong non-living things ?
Answer:
Abiotic resources.
13. Which resources are recyclable ?
Answer:
Metals.
14. Give some examples of resources ownership by individuals.
Answer:
Wood lots, Pasture lands, Ponds, water in wells.
15. Give example of community owned resources in village and in urban areas.
Answer:
In Villages - Grazing grounds, burial grounds, village ponds.
In urban areas - Parks, picnic spots, playgrounds.
16. Give three examples of National Resources.
Answer:
Canals, Railways, Roads.
17. Which mineral is mined by India in the Indian Ocean ?
Answer: Manganese nodules.
18. On what factors, does the development of resources depend ?
Answer:
Technology, human skill and stage of development.
19. Stock and Reserve resources development is postponed. Why ?
Answer:
These are conserved for future.
20. Why is mineral conservation necessary for sustainable development ?
Answer:
Because minerals are exhaustible and limited resource. This cannot be renewed.
VSA Type Questions based on Development Of Resources And Planning
1. What is ill-effect of accumulation of resources in few lands ?
Answer:
It has divided the society into two segments of rich and poor.
2. What are the ill-effects of indiscriminate utilisation of resources ?
Answer:
Global warming, ozone layer depletion, Environmental pollution, Land degradation.
3. Where and when was First Earth Summit held ?
Answer:
The First Earth Summit was held in June, 1992 in Rio-De-Janeiro (Brazil).
4. Expand UNCED.
Answer:
United Nations Conference on Environmental and Development.
5. Which element threatens the future of our planet ?
Answer:
Resource depletion.
6. What is required for sustainable develope ?
Answer: Resource planning
7. Which declaration was endorsed by Rio-De-Janeiro Summit ?
Answer:
Global forest principles and Agenda 21.
8. What was the aim of Rio-De-Janeiro Summit ?
Answer:
Achieving global sustainable development.
9. Which state has abundant solar and wind energy ?
Answer:
Rajasthan.
10. Name three states which are rich in mineral resources.
Answer:
Jharkand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
11. Which attracted the foreign inavders in India ?
Answer:
Rich resources in states.
12. Name the book written by Schumacher ?
Answer:
Small is Beautiful.
VSA Type Questions Based On Land Resources
1. Divide the society into two major divisions.
Answer:
- Have nots (Poor)
- Haves (Rich).
2. Name four ecological crises.
Answer:
- Global warming
- Ozone layer depletion
- Environmental pollution
- Land degradation
3. Why is resource planning essential ?
Answer:
It is essential for sustainable existence.
4. When and where was First Earth Summit held ?
Answer:
In June 1992 at Rio-De-Janeiro (Brazil).
5. What were two aims of First Earth Summit ?
Answer:
To consider problems of environmental protection and economic development.
6. Why is resource planning necessary in India ?
Answer:
Due to enormous diversity in resources.
7. Why is water power not developed in Arunachal Pradesh and solar power in Rajasthan ?
Answer:
Due to lack of infrastructure.
8. On what factors does the development of resources in India depend ?
Answer:
- Technology
- Quality of human resources
9. State two reasons for Environmental problems.
Answer:
- Irrational consumption
- Over utilisation of resources
10. When was Club of Rome for Resource Conservation established ?
Answer: In 1968
11. Who wrote the book 'Small is Beautiful' ?
Answer: Schumacher.
12. Name two factors responsible for the formation of Black Soil ?
Answer:
- Climatic conditions
- Parent rocks
13. Name the plateaus where black soil are found.
Answer:
- Maharashtra Plateau
- Saurashtra Plateau
- Malwa Plateau
- Madhya Pradesh
- Chhatisgarh Plateau.
14. Name two river valleys of Southern India where black soils are found.
Answer: Godavari and Krishna valley
15. Name the crop for which black soil is best suited ?
Answer: Cotton
16. What do you mean by Deccan trap ?
Answer:
Deccan trap is a plateau formed by deposition of Basalt Lava.
17. Why are red soils red in colour ?
Answer:
Red colour is due to diffusion of iron in crystalline and metamorphic rock.
18. Why are yellow soils yellow in colour ?
Answer:
It is due to iron occuring in hydrated form.
19. How much area of India is covered by plains, mountains and plateaus ?
Answer:
Plains - 43%, Mountains - 30%, Plateaus - 27%.
20. Define the term soil.
Answer:
Soil is the uppermost layer of the earth's crust.
21. Name the soil which covers the largest part of India.
Answer: Alluvial soils.
22. Name three areas where alluvial soils are most found.
Answer:
- Northern Plains
- Coastal strips
- Chhattisgarh Basin
23. Name two sub-types of alluvial soils.
Answer:
Khadar soils and Bangar soils.
24. Name three states where black soils are found.
Answer:
- Maharashtra
- Madhya Pradesh
- Gujrat
25. What other name is given to black soils ?
Answer: Regular/Cotton soil.
26. Name the states in which red soils are mostly found.
Answer:
Tamil Nadu, Karnatka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Jharkhand.
27. Name the states where laterite soils are found.
Answer:
Karnataka, Kerela, Orissa, Assam, Meghalaya.
28. In which areas are the desert soils are found.
Answer:
In arid and semi-arid areas of Rajasthan, Punjab and Harayana.
29. Name the soil of India having self-ploughing quality.
Answer: Black soils
30. Define soil erosion.
Answer:
The removal of soil from one place to another by agents of running water and wind is called soil erosion.
31. What is a ravine ? Name an area where it is found.
Answer:
Ravine is a gully formed by soil erosion. It is found in Chambal Basin.
32. How much area has been degraded by gully erosion ?
Answer: 40 lakh hectares.
33. How much percentage of total area of India is net sown area ?
Answer: 46 percent
34. How much area is cultivated more than once in a year ?
Answer: About 16 percent.
35. Name two states which have more than 80 percent net sown area.
Answer: Punjab and Harayana
36. Name two states with less than 10 percent net sown area.
Answer: Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram
37. What is fallow land ?
Answer:
It is cultivable land which is cultivated once in two or three years. It is allowed to rest for one or two seasons to regain its fertility.
38. What is bad land ?
Answer:
The land which is unsuitable for cultivation due to soil erosion is called bad land. It inludes arid, rocky and desert areas.
39. What are causes of bad lands ?
Answer:
- Deforestation
- Gully erosion
- Natural Process
- Human activities
40. What is meant by land degradation ? Name two human activities responsible for it.
Answer:
Degradation of land means rendering the land unfit for cultivation by overgrazing and deforestation.
41. How much land in India has been degraded ?
Answer: About 130 million hectares.
42. Explain the most important use of the relief feature of India occupying the largest percentage of the total land ares.
Answer:
Northern plains occupy the largest percentage of Land area. These fertile plains are best suited for Agriculture.
43. How does terrace cultivation restrict soil erosion in mountainous regions ?
Answer:
It reduces the flow of water and its speed down the slopes.
SAT Questions Based On Resources
1. What are resources ? State three characteristics of Resources.
Answer:
All the useful elements of environment which satisfy human needs are called resources. The following are the main characteristics of resources:
- These are free gifts of nature and useful elements of environment.
- These are technologically accessible.
- These are economically feasible.
- These are culturally acceptable.
- These satisfy basic needs of man.
- These are limited in quantity.
2. On what factors does the transformation of elements of environment depend ?
Answer:
Resources are no resources until these are used. coal is no resource, until is used to get power. Man uses skills and technology totransform elements of environment into resources. Resources are not but they become so due to man's action.
3. 'Resources are not free gifts of nature'. Explain giving reasons.
Or
'Resources are a function of human activities'. Explain.
Answer:
Natural endowments of environment are nature's free gift. But these become resources only when man utilises. These resources are a function of human resources. Human beings transform material available in our environment into resources. Wood is transformed into furniture by a carpenter. So human beings are essential components of Resources.
4. Classify Resources on different basis.
Answer:
Many type of resources are found. These can be classifies in the following ways :
(a) On the basis of origin - Biotic and Abiotic.
(b) On the basis of exhaustibility - Renewable and non-renewable.
(c) On the basis of ownership - (i) Potential Resources (ii) Developed Resources (iii) Reserve Resources (iv) Stock Resources
(d) On the basis of status of development - (i) Potential Resources (ii) Developed Resources (iii) Reserve Resources (iv) Stock Resources
5. What are renewable resources ? Which processes are used to renew these ? Name its two types and examples.
Answer:
Renewbale resources are those which can be removed. These can be reproduced like crops, trees, etc. These processes are used for their renewable :
- Physical Process
- Chemical Process
- Mechanical Process
6. What are recyclable resources ? Give examples.
Answer:
Some metals can be smelted and used again. These are called recyclable resources. Metals are recyclable resources. Fossil fuels can not be recycled. These get exhausted with their use.
7. What are non-renewable resources ? Why cannot these be renewed ? Give example.
Answer:
Resources which cannot be renewed or reproduced are called non-renewable resources. They take a very long time for their formation. With their use, these are exhausted and give for ever.
8. Despite enormous potential, solar power is not developed in Rajasthan and Gujrat ?
Answer:
Favourable factors :
- These regions are sandy deserts.
- Strong winds blow here.
- This is bright sunshine throughout the year.
- So there is a great potential for development of solar power.
Drawbacks :
- lack of technology
- demand is not properly developed.
SAT Questions Based On Development And Planning Of Resources
1. Examine the problems faced due to indiscriminate use of Resources.
Answer:
- Depletion of the resources for meeting the greed of few individuals.
- Accumulation of resources in few hands, which, in turn, divided the society into two segments i.e. haves and have nots and rich and poor.
- Ecological crises such as global warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental pollution and land degradation.
2. 'The future of our planet is in danger'. Why ?
Or
'Resource planning is essential'. Why ?
Answer:
Man is using resources indiscriminately. These will not last long. A judicious, rational and equitable distribution of resources has become essential for a sustained quality of life and global peace. If the present trend of resource depletion by a few individuals and countries continues, the future of our planet is in danger. Therefore Resource planning is essential for sustainable existence.
3. What is Sustainable Development ?
Answer:
Sustainable economic development means 'development should take place without damaging the environment, and development in the present should not compromise with the needs of the future generation.'
4. Describe necessity of resource planning in India. Give three examples.
Answer:
Planning is one of the most widely accepted strategy of judicious use of resources.
Necessity of Resource planning :
- It has importance in a country like India which has enormous diversity in the availability of resources.
- There are regions which are rich in certain types of resources and there are areas that are dificient in some resources.
- There are some regions which can be considered self sufficient in terms of the availability of resources and there are some regions which have acute shortage of some vital resources. This calls for a balanced resource planning at the natural state, regional and local levels.
5. What do you know about Earth Summit ? What were its aims ?
Answer:
Rio-de-Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992
In June 1992, more than 100 heads of states met in Rio-de-Janeiro in Brazil, for the first International Earth Summit.
Aims of Earth Summit :
- The Summit was convened for addressing urgent problems of environmental protection.
- It is discussed socio-economic development at the global level.
- The assembled leaders signed the declaration on global Climate change and the Biological Diversity.
- The Rio Convention endorsed the global Forest Principles.
- It adopted Agenda 21 for achieving Sustainable Development in the 21st century.
6. What do you know about Agenda 21 ? What were its aims ?
Answer:
Agenda 21 :
It is the declaration signed by world leaders in 1992 at the United Nation's Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), which took place at Rio-de-Janeiro, Brazil.
Aims :
- It aims at achieving sustainable Development.
- It is an agenda to combat the environmental damage.
- To remove poverty, diseases through global co-operation on common interests, mutual needs and shared responsibilities.
- One major objective of the Agenda 21 is that every local government should draw its own local Agenda 21.
7. What processes are involved in Resource Planning ?
Answer:
Resource planning is a complex process which involves :
- Identification and inventory of resources across the regions of the country. This involves surveying, mapping and finding the qualitative and quantitative measurement of the resources.
- Evolving a planning structure endowed with appropriate technology, skill and institutional set up for implementing resource development plans.
- Matching the resource development plans with overall national development plans.
8. What were the views of Mahatma Gandhiji about conservation of resources ?
Answer:
He said, "There is enough for everybody's need and not for anybody's greed." He placed the greedy and selfish individuals the root cause for resource depletion at the global level. He was against the mass production and wanted to replace it with the production in by the masses.
9. Examine the factors on which the development of resources depends.
Or
"There is an inter dependent relationship between nature technology and institutions'. Explain.
Answer:
The development of resources is essential for the sustainable existence and sustainable development. It depends upon the following factors :
- The availability of resources is a necessary condition for development of any region.
- Changes in technology and institutions help the development. Many resource regions are backward due to lack of technology.
- The history of colonisation revelas that rich resources in the colonies were the main attractions for the foreign traders.
- Resources can contribute to development only when they are accompanied by appropriate technological development and institutional changes.
- In India development in general and resource development in particular not only involves the availability of resources, but also the technology, quality of human resources and the historical experience of the people.
Answer:
- At the international level, the club of Rome advocated resource conservation for the first time in a more systematic way in 1968.
- In 1974, the Gandhian Philosophy was presented once again by Schumacher in his book 'Small is Beautiful'.
- The seminal contribution with respect to resource conservation and global level was made by the Brundtland Commission Report 1987. The report introduced the concept of 'Sustainable Development' and advocated it as means for resource conservation.
- It published a book entitled 'Our Common Future'.
- Another significance contribution was made at the Earth Summit at Rio-de-Janeiro, Brazil in 1992.
SAT Questions Based on Land Resources
1. 'Land is a natural resource of importance.' Explain with reference to India.
Answer:
We live on land. We perform our economic activity on land. We use land in different ways. Thus land is an important Natural Resource.
Land supports natural vegetation, wildlife, human life, economic activities, transport and communication systems. However, for any country, land is an asset of a finite magnitude, therefore, it is important to use the available land for various purposes with careful planning.
India has land under a variety of relief features, namely; mountains, plateaus plains and islands.
- About 43 per cent of the land area is plain, which provides facilities for agriculture and industries.
- Mountains account for 30 per cent of the total surface area of the country and ensure perennial flow of some rivers, provide facilities for tourism and ecological aspects.
- About 27 per cent of the area of the country is the plateau region. It possesses rich reserves of minerals, fossil fuels and forests.
2. On what factors does land use depend ? Why land use data of India is available for only 93% of area of the country ?
Answer:
The use of land is determined by
- Physical factors such as topography, climate, soil types
- Human factors such as population density, technological capability and cultural traditions etc.
Total geographical area of India is 3.28 million sq. km. Land use data, however, is available only for 93 percent of the total area because the land use reporting for most of the north east States except Assam has not been done. Moreover, some areas of Jammu and Kashmir state occupied by Pakistan and China have also not been surveyed.
3. What is the most important feature of land use pattern in India ?
Answer:
- India has total geographic area of 3.28 million sq. km. (3280 lakh hectares). The land use data is available for about 93% of the total area. It shows that 151 million hectares (46%) is net sown area. Thus India has a very high percentage (47%) of total area under cultivation. No other big country has such a large area under cultivation.
- Another satisfying feature is that only 8% land is fallow land which is not cultivated so as to restore the fertility of the land. It is notable that fallow land has arisen to 8% from earlier figureof 5%. It reflects that care for land resources has become essential.
- The area under pastures is also small (4%)
- The area under cultivable waste is 5%. This wasteland can be brought under cultivation to increase productivity.
4. What are the disturbing features of land use pattern in India ?
Answer:
The total availability of land is a fixed asset. It is not possible to increase the total geographical area. The pressure of growing population is increasing on land. It is necessary to plan the land use and strike a balance among various uses of land.
There are various disturbing features of land use pattern in India :
- There has not been much increase in net sown area. It has actually come down. Possible reason is pressure on land for other purposes.
- The cultivable waste has come down from 6.4% to 5%. It has not been brought under cultivation but used for other purposes.
- The area under pastures be increased to support cattle.
- The area under forests (only 22%) is not sufficient to maintain ecological balance and increase the economic development.
- The wasteland is increasing due to deforestation and over grazing.
- Since, the area under pasture land is low (4%) cattle are reared mainly on farm wastes, grain chaff and few fodder crops.
- If fallow land were combined with cultivated area total cultivated area is 54% which is very high.
- Urbanisation has created an increasing demand for residental areas.
- More land is being brought under industries, transport and recreation facilities as is evident from decrease in Net Sown area.
5. Distinguish between net sown area and gross sown area.
Answer:
Net Sown area is a part of the total land area which is actually cultivated. In India 46% of the total land area is net sown area (down from earlier 47.7%). Crops are grown on this area.
Gross sown area - Crops are grown twice or thrice in a year on more than 16% of the net sown area. It increases the total cultivated area and is called gross sown area. In India 62% (46+16) of the total area is gross sown area.
6. Why has the fallow land risen from 5% to 8% in India ?
Answer:
A fallow land is a part of the land which is not used for cultivation annually. In India the fallow land has risen from 5% from earlier figure to 8% now. The percentage of fallow land rising to 8% can be attributed to :
- conservation of soil fertility by allowing land to regain fertility in natural course
- Failure of rains to allow sowing of crops in time.
- Comfortable food stock so as to bring land under intense cultivation.
7. Describe land conservation measures or describe measures to control land degradation.
Answer:
- Treatment of land based on principles of erosion control for example plugging of gullies, planting of shatter beds of trees in opposite direction of winds, reducing flow of water in streams by constructing small bunds, embankments etc.
- Check on wastes - Non degradable wastes like plastics should not be dumped underground or in land-fills. Bio-degradable wastes should be recycled or processed.
- Watershed management - Improvement of vegetation cover in each watershed to promote replenishment of ground water and in turn promote plant growth.
- Management of both surface water and ground water resources can help save both vegetation cover and make efficient use of water resources.
"Distinguish Between" Type Questions
1. Distinguish between Regular soils and Laterite soils.
Answer:
Answer:
3. Distinguish between :
(a) Natural Resources and Cultural Resources.
Answer:
Distinction between Natural Resources and Cultural Resources :
Answer:
Distinction between Renewable and Non-Renewable Resources :
(c) Resuable and Non-Reusable Resources.
Answer:
Distinction between Reusable and Non-reusable Resources :
Long Answer Type Questions
1. Classify Resources on different Basis. Classify resources on the basis of origin and exhaustibility.
Answer:
Resources can be classified in the following ways :
- On the basis of origin - biotic and abiotic
- On the basis of exhaustibility - renewable and non-renewable.
- On the basis of ownership - individual, community, national and international.
- On the basis of status development - potential, developed reserve and stock.
- Biotic Resources - These are obtained from biosphere and have life such as human beings, flora and fauna, fisheries, livestock etc.
- Abiotic Resources - All those things which are composed of non-living things are called abiotic resources. For example, rocks and metals.
On the basis of exhaustibility
- Renewable Resources - The resources which can be renewed or reproduced by physical, chemical or mechanical processes are known as renewable or replenishable resources. For example, solar and wind energy, water, forests and wildlife, etc. The renewable resource may further be divided into continuous or flow.
- Non-renewable resources - These occur over a very long geological time. Minerals and fuels are the examples of such resources. These resources take millions of years in their formation. Some of the resources like metals are recyclable and some like fossil fuels cannot be recycled and get exhausted with their use.
2. Classify resources on the basis of the ownership.
Answer:
On the basis of ownership :
- Individual Resources - Resources are also owned privately by individuals. Many farmers own land which is allotted to them by government against the payment of revenue. In villages there are people with land ownership but there are many who are landless. The urban people own plots, houses and other property. Wood lots, pasture lands, ponds water in wells etc. are some of the examples of resources ownership by individuals.
- Community owned Resource - There are resources which are accessible to all the members of the community. Village commons (grazing grounds, burial grounds, village ponds, etc.) and public parks, picnic spots, playgrounds in urban areas are the factors accessible to all the people living there.
- National Resources - Technically, all the resources belong to the nation. The country has legal powers to acquire even private property for public goods. Roads, canals, railways being constructed on fields owned by some individuals. Urban Development Authorities get empowered by the government to acquire land. All the minerals, water resources, forests, wildlife and within the political boundaries and ocean area upto 12 nautical miles (19.2 km) from the coast termed as territorial water resources there in belong to the nation.
- International Resources - There are international institutions which own and regulate some resources. The oceanic resources beyond 200 kms of Exclusive Economic Zone belong to open ocean and no individual country can utilise these without the concurrence of international institutions. India has got right to mine manage nodules from the bed of Indian Ocean from that area which lies beyond exclusive economic zone.
3. Classify resources on the basis of state of development.
Answer:
On the basis of state of development :
- Potential Resources - Resources which are found in a region, but have not been utilised. For example, the western parts of India particularly Rajasthan and Gujrat have enormous potential for the development of wind and solar energy, but so far these have not been developed properly.
- Developed Resources - Resources which are surveyed and their quality and quantity have been determined for utilisation. The development of resources depends on technology and level of their feasibility.
- Stock and Reserve - Materials in the environment which have the potential to satisfy the human needs but the human beings do not have the appropriate technology to access these are included among stock. For example, water is a compound of two inflammable gases; hydrogen and oxygen, which can be used as a rich source of energy. But we do not have the required technical 'know how' to use them for this purpose. Hence, it can be considered as stock.
- Reserves - are the subset of the stock, which can be put into use with the help of existing technical 'know how' but their uses have been postponed for meeting the future requirements. Water of the river can be utilised only to a limited extent. Thus, the water in the dams, forests, etc are reserve which can be used in future.
4. Describe briefly distribution of alluvial and black soils in India.
Answer:
India is primarily an agricultural country. The success of agriculture depends upon the fertility of soils. The soils of India are classified into the following main groups, depending upon the rock cover and climate conditions.
Black Soils : These soils are black in colour and are also called 'Regur Soils'.
- Areas - Black soils are mainly foud over the Deccan Lava tract (Deccan trap) including plateaus of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Saurashtra, Malwa, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. These soils are found in river valleys of Narmada, Tapti, Godavari and Krishna.
- Formation - These soils have been formed due to weathering of lava rocks.
- Composition - These soils are rich in clay, lime, iron, magnesia and alumina. But these lack in phosphorus, nitrogen and organic matter.
- Suitability to Crops - These soils are most suitable for cotton cultivation and are known as 'Black Cotton Soils'. These soils can hold water. These soils are suitable for rice, wheat, jowar, sugarcane, tobacco and oilseeds. These are also called self-ploughing soils as cracks help in proper aeration of soils.
Alluvial Soils :
- Areas - These soils are the most widespread soils covering an area of 8 lakh sq. km. from Punjab to Assam (the entire northern plains).
- Formation - These soils have been deposited by sediments brought by rivers. These are found in river basins, flood plains and coastal areas.
- Composition - These are deep soils rich in potash, but poor in nitrogen. These soils consist of various properties of sand, silt. In drier areas, soils are more alkaline and clayey. These soils contain fine particles of soils called alluvium deposited over thousands of years. This alluvium has been deposited by three Great Himalayan rivers - Sutlej, Ganga and Brahmaputra. These soils also extend in rajasthan and Gujrat through a narrow corridor. Coarse soils are common in plains such as Duars, Chos and Terai.
These are of three types (according to their age)
- Khadar Soils - The fine and new alluvium deposited in flood plains is called Khadar Soils.
- Bangar Soils - The older alluvium is known as Bhangar Soils. The bhangar soils have high concentration of Kanker.
- Newest Alluvial Soils - The fine alluvium in deltas is known as newest alluvium soils.
These are fertile soils and ideal for the growth of sugarcane, paddy, wheat and pulse crops. These areas are intensively cultivated and densely populated.
5. Describe the main characteristics, extent and suitability to crops of Red Soils and Laterite Soils.
Answer:
Red Soils - These soils are red in colour.
- Areas - These soils are found in Chotta nagpur plateau, Telangana, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh.
- Formation - These soils are formed due to Igneous rocks. Thin red colour is due to oxidation of iron ore is found here.
- Composition - These soils are poor in lime, nitrogen and humus.
- Suitability to Crops - These soils are used for cultivation of millets, pulses, linseed, tobacco.
Laterite soils - The word Laterite has been derived from the Latin word 'Later' meaning brick.
- Areas - Laterite soils are found on the high lands of Deccan plateau in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Rajmahal hills, Chotta nagpur plateau.
- Formation - These develop in areas having high temperature and heavy rainfall. This is the result of leaching of soils due to heavy rains and wet and dry seasons.
- Composition - Rains wash away silica content and humus is low. Bacteria are destroyed. So these require doses of manures and fertilizers laterite.
- Suitability to Crops - These are low land laterites and upland laterites. On upland, tea and coffee are grown. Lowland laterites are used for cashewnuts and foodgrains.
6. What is soil erosion ? What are the causes of soil erosion ? Describe the different types of soil erosion.
Answer:
Soil Erosion - It is the destruction and removal of top soil by running water, wind, etc. Soil erosion has become a serious problem in many areas. Soil formation is a slow process and takes thousands of years to develop soils, but it may be removed in a matter of a few years. Soil erosion results from the following causes :
- Steep slopes - Steep slopes affect the rapidity of running water. On steep slopes, intensity of soil erosion increases.
- Torrential rainfall - Heavy rainfall loosens the soil particles and scoops out the soil forming gullies and ravines. This gives rise to a dissected surface called badland as in Chambal Valley of India.
- Strong winds - Winds and dust storm blow away soil in dry areas. This process is known as deflation.
- Over-grazing - Due to over grazing, the vegetation becomes too thin to protect the soil. Rain and wind can easily erode the loose soil.
- Over-cropping - Crop rotation maintains soil fertility. But over-cropping and shifting cultivation renders soil infertile.
- Deforestation - Deforestation means the removal of forest cover and its exposes the area to soil erosion. Rackless cutting of trees has resulted in soil erosion along the Shiwalik hills. Human misuse of the land through wrong farming practices, deforestation, etc. leads to the removal of soil cover.
Types of soil Erosion :
- Sheet Erosion - when the soil is washed away in thin layers by water or wind, it is called Sheet Erosion. Fine silt and clay is removed from the top soil.
- Gully Erosion - It is done by running water by cutting channels. Gullies and ravines are formed by rapid run off. Bad land is formed over clay soils in Chambal Valley.
7. Write a short note on conservation of soils.
Answer:
Soil is a fundamental natural resource. Soil formation is a slow process, but it is easily lost by soil erosion. In fact, more soil is being lost each year than nature makes. Soil erosion must be checked. Sound farming practices and measures be adopted to conserve, protect, renew and maintain soil fertility. These methods constitute soil conservation.
- Afforestation - In some areas, the original vegetation cover has been removed such as in Shiwalik hills. In such areas afforestation and reforestation is needed to hold the soil. Advance of desert can be checked by planting trees along the margins of deserts.
- Controlled grazing - The number of cattle to be grazed on slopes should be according to the carrying capacity of the pastures.
- Terraced agriculture - Slopes must be cut into a series of terraces (fields) for cultivation so as to slow down the flow of rain water.
- River dams - River dams are built in the upper course of rivers to control floods and check soil erosion.
- Contour ploughing - Contour ploughing, terracing, and bunding is done to check soil wash on slopes. Ploughing is done at right angles to the hill slopes.
- Crop rotation - Crop rotation system be applied and the land should be allowed fallow for some time. Soil fertility can be maintained in this way.
- Other methods - In areas of heavy rain, basin type of cultivation be adopted. Tall trees should be grown as wind breaks and shelter belts in areas of strong winds. Strip cropping restricts soil erosion.
8. What is meant by land degradation ? How does industry cause land degradation ?
Answer:
The land which has depleted its value chiefly soil-resource value is called land-degradation. The depletion of natural vegetation as well as soil erosion are also regarded as depletion of lands as well as its causes. The industry causes land degradation through following acts :
- Mining - Mining, chiefly open cast mining or surface mining leads to degradation. Mining leads to abandonment of site or settlements, roads, factories which all lead to depletion of vegetation and consequently land degradation.
- Mineral processing like grinding of limestone, quarrying and crushing of stones raise dust in atmosphere leading to environment degradation.
- Land fills - Industries dump many non-degradable, toxic or radioactive wastes in landfills. These wastes cause greater damage to soil.
- Effluents - Industries release many effluents in water bodies or in atmosphere. These effluents cause pollution of various types. Hence, land degradation.
- Deforestation - Industries need land for setting up factories, townships, roads, buildings, etc. which ultimately lead to pressure on forest land and hence, deforestation. About 28% of total degraded land belongs to this category.