Red soil in the Peninsular Plateau is mainly related to what?

Correct answer: Weathering of iron-rich rocks

Correct answer: A, weathering of iron-rich rocks. Soil develops through the breakdown of parent rock and the addition and alteration of mineral material. In the red soils associated with parts of the Peninsular Plateau, iron compounds in the parent material are important. When iron-bearing minerals weather and oxidise, they give the soil a red or reddish colour. A is therefore the best answer. B is wrong because marine coral is not the main parent material responsible for the broad red-soil areas of the plateau. C is wrong because glacial ice is not the usual source of these plateau soils. D is wrong because new river silt forms recent alluvial deposits, which are different from red soils formed over weathered upland material. Memory cue: red or reddish colour in many soils suggests iron compounds; colour alone does not mean the soil is made of pure iron.