Morphological characterization of soils of Mahasamund in a topo-sequence

Abstract

A study was conducted on the soils of Mahasamund across various landforms to characterize and classify them. The investigation revealed that the soils are predominantly Alfisols. On hills and hill slopes, soils are very shallow due to severe erosion, with redder hues (2.5YR 3/3) indicating well-drained, gravelly sand to loamy sand textures. As the landscape transitions to undulating uplands and lower areas, soil depths increase to shallow and moderately deep, with textures shifting to gravelly loam and sandy loam, and colors becoming less red and more yellowish (10YR 5/4) in the sub-surface. In the valleys, river belts and flood plains, soils are very deep and influenced by sediment deposition with textures ranging from sandy clay loam to clay loam and greyer hues (10YR 4/2) indicating waterlogging. Soil structure varies from medium, weak sub-angular blocky on hills to stronger blocky structures in lower, altered areas. Diagnostic horizons include a thick Ap horizon up to 25 cm in the river belt, a Bt horizon up to 43.75 cm in undulating uplands and a well-developed Bw horizon in flood plains, reflecting stages of pedogenesis. Overall, the study highlights the complex interactions between topography, hydrology and soil properties across the Mahasamund region.