Laterite–Lateritic Soils
To understand Laterite soils, let’s begin with the word itself.
“Laterite” comes from the Latin word later, meaning brick. Why brick? Because these soils harden like bricks when exposed to air after losing moisture.
But how are these soils formed?
- They are the end-products of intense weathering over millions of years.
- Found in hot and wet climates, especially where rainfall is heavy but not continuous—i.e., areas with alternate wet and dry periods.
Logical Flow of Formation:
- Heavy rainfall causes leaching—this is the process where water percolates through soil and washes away soluble nutrients like lime and silica.
- What remains is a residue rich in iron and aluminium oxides—the key elements that give the soil its brick-red color and hardness.
Analogy: Imagine boiling a pot of soup continuously and removing the broth again and again. What remains in the end is a thick, nutrient-dense residue. That’s what nature does in the tropics—it “boils” the rocks with rain and heat, and what remains is Laterite.
🔻 Texture & Physical Features
- Texture: Mostly gravelly, with low clay content.
- Appearance: Reddish due to high iron content.
- Behavior:
- Soft when moist, hardens upon drying—this is why it’s often used as building material.
- Found mostly on hill summits and elevated plateaus, where drainage is good and leaching is maximum.
⚗️ Chemical Composition
| Nutrient / Element | Status |
| Bauxite / Ferric Oxide | High (makes it useful for mining) |
| Lime, Magnesia, Potash, Nitrogen | Very Low (due to leaching) |
| Iron Phosphate | Sometimes high |
| Humus | Varies (higher in wetter areas) |
The presence of aluminium-rich bauxite makes lateritic soil economically valuable for mining industries, though it’s not agriculturally rich by default.
📍 Distribution in India
Laterite and lateritic soils cover about 2.48 lakh sq. km, and are usually found at higher elevations due to better drainage and intense leaching.
| Region | Notable Areas |
| Western Ghats | Summits between 1000–1500 m (Kerala, Goa, Karnataka) |
| Eastern Ghats | Odisha, parts of Andhra Pradesh |
| Other Regions | Rajmahal Hills (Jharkhand), Vindhyas & Satpuras (Madhya Pradesh), Malwa Plateau (central India), South Maharashtra |
These soils are often scattered, but when they appear, they dominate the hilltops and plateau summits.
🌿 Agricultural Use: Crops in Lateritic Soils
Naturally, these soils are not fertile due to extensive nutrient loss. But they can be made productive with manure, fertilisers, and irrigation.
Crops Grown:
| Crop Type | Examples |
| Plantation Crops | Tea, Coffee, Rubber, Coconut, Cinchona, Arecanut |
| Other Uses | In some places, these soils are used for grazing grounds and scrub forests |
The ability to grow crops depends entirely on human intervention—manure, irrigation, and effort.
🧱 Economic Value Beyond Agriculture
Laterite isn’t just soil—it’s also a stone.
- When freshly cut, it’s soft—easy to shape.
- Once exposed to air, it hardens like iron.
- That’s why it’s traditionally used in construction in Kerala and Goa—temples, boundary walls, and even houses.
It’s durable, because it’s already the final product of weathering—nature has already stripped away everything that could be stripped.
🧠 Conclusion: What Makes Laterite Soils Special?
| Feature | Summary |
| Formation | By prolonged weathering in hot & humid climates |
| Main Processes | Leaching → loss of nutrients → iron & aluminium left |
| Texture | Gravelly, poor in clay |
| Colour | Red (due to ferric oxide) |
| Fertility | Poor without human input |
| Best Use | Plantation crops (with care), construction material, bauxite mining |
| Key Insight | Laterite is not naturally rich, but is stable, strong, and useful when nurtured or built upon |
Laterite soils are like that old, experienced person—they’ve been through everything, lost many things, but what remains is tough, resilient, and valuable in its own way.
