KAWA MULTIMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
The characteristics of the four different soil types in Africa
The characteristics of the four different soil types in Africa can be explained as follows:-
The black soils are associated with the colour of the region's rocks.
The colour is dark grey and some times black in colour.
These soils have a heavy texture in their upper layers.
They have a high lime content in their upper layers.
They contain phosphorous and Nitrogen.
They are heavy and sticky especially in the rainy season.
They are dry and cracked in the dry season.
They are tropical soils, which are sometimes called vertisols.
They are common in different parts of Africa such as Parts of Ethiopia Sudan. Accra Plains in Ghana, the area to the South of L. Chad, Northern Mozambique, Eastern Zimbabwe, Parts of South Africa.
These soils occur in areas with the following conditions;
• Savannah Climate,
• Calcerous rocks for example limestone or coloured Granite. They have a lot of minerals.
• Flat level plains or in broad depressions.
• Moderate rainfall between 500-762 mm.
(i) Economic value of Black Soils/Cotton soils
Suitable for cultivation of a few crops like rice, Sugar cane, Cotton and pineapples.
Used for local pottery.
For educational field studies in Geography and modeling in fine Art.
Difficult to work on during dry season and wet season.
Enable the growth of papyrus swamps which are used for local handcraft Industry.
(ii) Laterite or Latosolic soils.
They are sometimes called Red earths, red soils or tropical soils and their main areas of Occurrence are:-Equatorial regions of Africa like Nigeria, Ghana, Cote de D'Voire, N. Zaire, Cameroon and Gabon. And also in the wetter Savannah areas like S. Africa (Natal), Northern Angola and parts of Ethiopia.
The conditions for the development of laterites are:-
• It develops on any type of rock,
• High humidity conditions
• Moderately high temperature
• High rainfall,
• Gently and undulating land to hilly areas.
The main characteristics also include
1. Heavily leached of salts and silica.
2. Lack mineral nutrients since most of the mineral have been dissolved out.
3. The upper layers contain little organic layers.
4. Have a hardpan on the surface due to insoluble minerals.
5. The upper layers contain little organic layers.
6. The soils are reddish in colour.
7. They are sticky when wet and set to dry and hence forms hard parts.
8. They are poor and acidic.
9. They lack humus.
The economic values of laterites are:-
1. Being leached and sticky, hard they do not support farming but they can be used for bricklaying and baking since they set hard easily.
2. Provide building materials for example plastering mud houses, surfacing murram roads.
3. They promote pottery industry.
4. They are rich in minerals for example Bauxite.
5. They support vegetation, which provide pasture.
6. People derive their income from these soils for example potters.
(iii) Red loams
They occur in areas like topical or Savannah conditions. These are along Mediterranean Coast, S. Angola, much of Zambia, Zimbabwe and parts of S. Africa for example Southwest region and Somalia.:-
The conditions for their development are
• High temperature (270-300C) and moderate rainfall (1000-1500).
• Mainly from Granite, Sandstone and schist rocks as the Parents rocks.
• Gently rolling landscape.
• Occur in wetter Savannah areas.
• Not heavily leached due to less rainfall.
• Well developed humus due the exchange of vegetation.
• Rich in ferrous oxides and silica.
• Fairly fertile soils.
• Is dark red to brown in colour.
The economic values are:- cultivation of a variety of crops because they are fertile, growth of pasture for animals, they can support forestry, building roads as well as for surfacing roads.
The black soils are associated with the colour of the region's rocks.
The colour is dark grey and some times black in colour.
These soils have a heavy texture in their upper layers.
They have a high lime content in their upper layers.
They contain phosphorous and Nitrogen.
They are heavy and sticky especially in the rainy season.
They are dry and cracked in the dry season.
They are tropical soils, which are sometimes called vertisols.
They are common in different parts of Africa such as Parts of Ethiopia Sudan. Accra Plains in Ghana, the area to the South of L. Chad, Northern Mozambique, Eastern Zimbabwe, Parts of South Africa.
These soils occur in areas with the following conditions;
• Savannah Climate,
• Calcerous rocks for example limestone or coloured Granite. They have a lot of minerals.
• Flat level plains or in broad depressions.
• Moderate rainfall between 500-762 mm.
(i) Economic value of Black Soils/Cotton soils
Suitable for cultivation of a few crops like rice, Sugar cane, Cotton and pineapples.
Used for local pottery.
For educational field studies in Geography and modeling in fine Art.
Difficult to work on during dry season and wet season.
Enable the growth of papyrus swamps which are used for local handcraft Industry.
(ii) Laterite or Latosolic soils.
They are sometimes called Red earths, red soils or tropical soils and their main areas of Occurrence are:-Equatorial regions of Africa like Nigeria, Ghana, Cote de D'Voire, N. Zaire, Cameroon and Gabon. And also in the wetter Savannah areas like S. Africa (Natal), Northern Angola and parts of Ethiopia.
The conditions for the development of laterites are:-
• It develops on any type of rock,
• High humidity conditions
• Moderately high temperature
• High rainfall,
• Gently and undulating land to hilly areas.
The main characteristics also include
1. Heavily leached of salts and silica.
2. Lack mineral nutrients since most of the mineral have been dissolved out.
3. The upper layers contain little organic layers.
4. Have a hardpan on the surface due to insoluble minerals.
5. The upper layers contain little organic layers.
6. The soils are reddish in colour.
7. They are sticky when wet and set to dry and hence forms hard parts.
8. They are poor and acidic.
9. They lack humus.
The economic values of laterites are:-
1. Being leached and sticky, hard they do not support farming but they can be used for bricklaying and baking since they set hard easily.
2. Provide building materials for example plastering mud houses, surfacing murram roads.
3. They promote pottery industry.
4. They are rich in minerals for example Bauxite.
5. They support vegetation, which provide pasture.
6. People derive their income from these soils for example potters.
(iii) Red loams
They occur in areas like topical or Savannah conditions. These are along Mediterranean Coast, S. Angola, much of Zambia, Zimbabwe and parts of S. Africa for example Southwest region and Somalia.:-
The conditions for their development are
• High temperature (270-300C) and moderate rainfall (1000-1500).
• Mainly from Granite, Sandstone and schist rocks as the Parents rocks.
• Gently rolling landscape.
• Occur in wetter Savannah areas.
• Not heavily leached due to less rainfall.
• Well developed humus due the exchange of vegetation.
• Rich in ferrous oxides and silica.
• Fairly fertile soils.
• Is dark red to brown in colour.
The economic values are:- cultivation of a variety of crops because they are fertile, growth of pasture for animals, they can support forestry, building roads as well as for surfacing roads.