Question

what is soil please give the answer

Answer 1

This article is part of our free online study materials in the Geography section. Like the previous articles in the History section, this post – about the classification of soils in India – highlights only the main points in an exam point of view. From the UPSC exam perspective aspirants should be aware of nature, colour, nutrients present/absent in each soil type. Recommended reference materials for the topic are NCERT books for Geography.

Now let’s dig deep into the current topic.

Definition of Soil
Soil can be simply defined as a mixture of small rock particles/debris and organic materials/ humus which develop on the earth surface and support growth of plants.

Soil Classification – Urvara vs Usara
In India, soil had been classified from the ancient period itself even though it was not as detail as the modern classifications.
In the ancient period, the classification was based on only two things; whether the soil is fertile or sterile. Thus the classification were:
Urvara [fertile]
Usara [sterile]

Answer 2

soil is a mixture of organic matter, mineral, gases, liquid, and organism that together support life