Abstract

                                Twenty soil profiles in the Nilgiris representing various elevations and rainfall intensities were studied and profile characteristics observed. Most of the soils were formed from charnockite. There were indications of truncation and superimposition of transported material, with the sequence of superficial horizons reversed. Vesicular laterite horizon was not found anywhere in the area. The marked variation in the soils studied within a small area was probably due to changes in composition of parent rock. The urgent need for agreeing upon morphological and chemical criteria for identifying Intorites and related soils is recognised.

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