Where does podsolization take place ?
- A.Regions in high middle latitudes
- B.Coastal regions in lower latitudes
- C.Regions with hot and humid climate
- D.Regions having arid climate
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Regions in high middle latitudes. Podsolization is the soil process of cool, moist climates under coniferous forest, which lie in the high middle latitudes.
In the cold, wet taiga belt, needle litter from pines and firs decays slowly and forms acidic humus. Rainwater passing through it leaches iron, aluminium and bases out of the upper layer, leaving a pale, ash-grey, sandy horizon, and deposits them lower down as a reddish-brown layer. The resulting soil is called a podzol, a Russian word meaning ash-like soil. Such soils cover much of Canada, Scandinavia and Siberia, and are poor for farming.
B is wrong: low-latitude coasts are warm, and their soils are shaped by marine deposits and heavy weathering, not podsolization.
C is wrong: hot, humid regions undergo laterization, which leaves iron and aluminium behind and produces laterite soils.
D is wrong: arid regions have too little rain to leach the soil; salts rise and collect instead (calcification and salinization).
Exam tip: cold and wet with conifers means podzol; hot and wet means laterite; dry means calcification.
Practice Questions
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- A.Brazilian Current
- B.Gulf Stream
- C.North Equatorial Current
- D.California Current
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It flows south along the west coast of North America, carrying cold water from higher latitudes towards the equator. As a rule, currents moving from the poles towards the equator are cold, and those moving from the equator towards the poles are warm.
Read the full explanation →Rani told her friends that last year she did boating in four different lakes, namely, Loktak, Barapani, Kolleru and Pulicat. Which of the following States did she visit?
- A.Manipur, Meghalaya, Kerala, Tamil Nadu
- B.Manipur, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu
- C.Mizoram, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu
- D.Mizoram, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu
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Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements on 'Fog' : 1. Fog is simply a cloud that forms close to the ground. 2. Radiation fog is associated with radiation cooling of the land at night. 3. Advection fog forms when moisture is blown over a cold surface and is chilled by contact. Which of the statements given above are correct ?
- A.1 and 2 only
- B.2 and 3 only
- C.1 and 3 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
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All three statements are correct descriptions of fog and its two main types. Fog forms when air near the ground cools to its dew point and its water vapour condenses on tiny dust and smoke particles, so it is in effect a cloud at or near ground level.
Read the full explanation →Salal Power Project is situated on which one among the following rivers?
- A.Chenab
- B.Jhelum
- C.Nubra
- D.Shyok
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The Salal hydroelectric project is a run-of-the-river project on the Chenab in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir. Built and run by NHPC, Salal has an installed capacity of 690 MW and was the first project India built under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 on a western river.
Read the full explanation →India's territorial limit extends towards the sea up to
- A.10 nautical miles
- B.12 nautical miles
- C.14 nautical miles
- D.15 nautical miles
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India's territorial waters, where it has full sovereignty, extend 12 nautical miles (about 22.2 km) from the baseline of its coast.
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