In India, black soil is mostly found in which region?

Black soils in India are found mainly over the Deccan trap region, the vast area of basalt rock formed by enormous lava flows at the end of the Cretaceous period, about 66 million years ago. The black soil develops from the weathering of these basaltic lava rocks.

What is the Deccan trap?

"Trap" comes from the Swedish word "trappa", meaning "stairs", because the eroded layers of lava form step-like hills.

The Deccan Traps cover a large part of Maharashtra, Malwa (western Madhya Pradesh), Gujarat (Saurashtra), and parts of Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Distribution of black soil:

• Maharashtra has the largest area under black soil.
• It is also found in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and parts of Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh.
• Black soils cover about 15 per cent of India's area.

Characteristics of black soil:

• It is locally called "regur" (from the Telugu word "reguda") and is also known as "black cotton soil", since it is ideal for cotton.
• It has a high clay content, so it is sticky when wet and very hard when dry.

It swells greatly when wet and shrinks when dry, developing broad cracks in the dry season. Air reaches deep into the soil through these cracks, which is why the soil is said to "plough itself".

It has a high water-holding capacity, so crops can be grown on stored moisture after the rains.

It is rich in lime, potash, magnesium and calcium carbonate, but poor in nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter.

Its dark colour comes from certain minerals derived from the basalt and from organic compounds associated with the clay.

Crops grown:

Cotton (the most important), soybean, jowar, wheat, sugarcane, groundnut, linseed, citrus fruits and tobacco.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Indo-Gangetic plain has mainly alluvial soils.
• ✗The Chota Nagpur plateau has mainly red and laterite soils.
• ✗The Thar Desert is covered largely by sand and dunes, not black soil.