Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Black soils, also known as "Regur" in India, are characterized by their dark color, high clay content (mainly montmorillonite), and significant shrink-swell properties.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
In the USDA Soil Taxonomy, these soils are classified under the order Vertisols.
The name "Vertisol" comes from the Latin "verto," meaning to turn or invert.
This refers to the "self-ploughing" action of these soils. During the dry season, the high-swelling clay shrinks, causing wide, deep cracks to develop.
Surface material falls into these cracks. When it rains, the clay expands, and the pressure pushes subsoil upwards.
This results in micro-relief features called gilgai.
Alfisols (Statement 1) are forest soils with a clay-enriched subsoil.
Entisols (Statement 2) are recently formed soils with little to no horizon development.
Inceptisols (Statement 4) are slightly more developed than Entisols but lack the unique shrink-swell diagnostic features of black soils.
Medium and deep black soils are the hallmark of the Deccan Plateau in India.
Step 3: Final Answer:
Medium and deep black soils belong to the order Vertisols.