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Difficulty: HardSoil Formation, Profiles, and Major Vegetation Types

In humid tropical regions experiencing high temperatures and heavy seasonal rainfall, intense leaching removes silica and soluble bases from the soil profile while leaving behind insoluble hydrated oxides of iron and aluminum. Which pedogenic process is responsible for this soil development?

  1. LateritizationAnswer
  2. B
    Podzolization
  3. C
    Calcification
  4. D
    Gleization

Answer

Lateritization
Lateritization is the dominant soil-forming process in humid tropical and sub-tropical climates with high rainfall and warm temperatures. Rapid chemical weathering and intense leaching remove soluble silica and bases from the topsoil, leaving behind resistant, insoluble iron and aluminum sesquioxides that produce reddish lateritic soils.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the climatic context and chemical mechanism described in the stem.
High temperatures and heavy rainfall in humid tropics promote intense leaching (eluvial removal of silica and soluble salts).
Climatic controls dictate the specific weathering and pedogenic pathways in soil profile development.
2
Identify the resulting mineral accumulation.
Residual accumulation of insoluble hydrated oxides of iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al), giving tropical soils their characteristic reddish oxide crust.
Desilication removes silica compounds, concentrating insoluble sesquioxides in the profile.
3
Match the process with its corresponding pedogenic term.
The process described is lateritization (ferralitization), resulting in lateritic soil/oxisol formation.
Lateritization is the precise pedogenic term for sesquioxide enrichment via tropical desilication.

Key Concept

Lateritization and Tropical Soil Pedogenic Processes
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Topics

Soil Formation, Profiles, and Major Vegetation Types

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