Confirmation of soil physiographic units through soil mineralogy studies in Yamuna alluvial plain,India

A confirmatory study of soil physiographic units identified through aerial photo interpretation technique, in Yamuna alluvial plain, Haryana is presented here. The area under study is part of Yamuna alluvial plain in Sonepat district, Haryana. Shanwal and Malik (1980) studied and mapped this area (semi-detailed) on 1:25,000 scale through areial photo interpretation technique. The soil profile samples of major soil physiographic units of the area were fractionated into sand, silt and clay. Detail mineralagical studies were carried out through electron microscopic and X-ray diffractometer studies in order to know their nature and origin of the parent material. X-ray diffraction data shows that mineralogy of different fractions (Sand, silt and clay) of soils samples, of different physiographic units were similar except Lavee. In this area mica is the dominant day mineral in the soils followed by Kaolinite, chlorite, vermiculite and smectite in decreasing order of their abundances. The occurance of fibrous minerals in coarse clay and silt fraction of soil samples of Lavee physiographic unit is the interesting feature of this area. The presence of fibrous minerals indicates that this overlain material designated as natural Levee in this area is not the alluvium brought down by the river Yamuna but is aeolian material flown from adjoining deseret of Rajasthan and deposited as stabilized sand dune. The fibrous minerals have been reported earlier in the desert of Rajasthan.