Types of Soil  in Uttarakhand :

The soils found in the Himalayas are diverse in character depending upon altitude, vegetation cover, slope, structure and stage. Most of the soils in this region are acidic in nature. The soil of this state is known as mountainous forest soil. The thin cover of soil commonly occurs on the temperate dip-hills; on the other hand the southern slopes contain colluvial deposits. Therefore the northern hills support forests, while the southern faces are generally naked. Generally five main types of soil are found in this region:

High altitude meadow soil:

 This soil type is found in high altitude meadows found near the snowline in all parts of the higher and trans Himalayas. Negligible rainfall occurs in these areas and the main form of precipitation is snow. The soil found here is very thin and fragile. Since the texture of the soil is very coarse with high gravel content, they are prone to displacement due to slides and avalanches. These soils are dark in colour and have a high content of humus.

 Quartzite soil :

Quartzite soil is generally found in Nainital district. This soil is light and infertile, which contains cysts and quartz.

Volcanic soil :

Volcanic soil is very fertile and suitable for the agriculture, which is found in the hilly tract with igneous rocks. It is sandy and light and contains sizable amount of dolomite and granite.

Brown soil :

Brown or grey soil is found in Nainital, Mussoorie and Chakrata. It has high percentage of lime. The high altitude areas have a brown soil cover which is rich in humus. The Alpine zone, extending above 3000 m, has a soil of glacial origin with granitic sandy loam.

Alluvial soil :

Alluvial soil is also suitable for agriculture; it is fertile and found in the valleys which have colluvial and alluvial deposits. This type of soil is also found in lower slopes of Siwaliks range, Doon valley and Tarai and Bhabhar region.

These soils are acidic (pH 4.5-5.8) with very poor base saturation and low available nutrient contents. Drainage facilities are very poor. However, the amount of organic matter content is high which exhibit a special significance in horizon differentiation and is predominated by dark coloured surface horizon and development of dark colour in the cambic horizon.

Tarai soils are fertile and productive having proper drainage. These soils having mollicepipedons and fall in the order mollisols.

Tertiary soil :

Tertiary type of soil is commonly found in the Siwaliks Mountains as well as the Doon Valley. The soil is very light, porous and contains sand. It is replete with iron-oxide, biological remains and humus. It is suitable for the cultivation of tea.

This type of soil is found in the sub-mountain and foothill tracts of the Himalayas ranging from the western regions in Jammu and Kashmir to the eastern most stretches in Arunachal Pradesh. While this soil type is extensively found in the foothills of Himachal Pradesh, it is only present in a narrow zone in Uttarakhand from Dehradun to Deori. This soil has a high content of organic matter and nitrogenous compounds, but lacks phosphate compounds. The soil is also found in the foothills of Darjeeling, where it has been transported by hilly rivers and streams at altitudes as high as 1500 m.

The Himalayas soils are formed under temperate climatic conditions with coniferous forests and the dominant rocks are sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic. 

     Uttarakhand has various types of soil, all of which are susceptible to soil erosion. In the north, the soil ranges from gravel (debris from glaciers) to stiff clay. Brown forest soil—often shallow, gravelly, and rich in organic content—is found farther to the south. The Bhabar area is characterized by soils that are coarse-textured, sandy to gravelly, highly porous, and largely infertile. In the extreme southeastern part of the state, the Tarai soils are mostly rich, clayey loams, mixed to varying degrees with fine sand and humus; they are well suited to the cultivation of rice and sugarcane.