ABSTRACT
Ladakh, the land of many passes and glaciers, is among the highest, driest and sparsely inhabited places on the earth. The soil profiles are quite different from those of other parts of the Indian subcontinent due to variation in topography, climate, vegetation growth, geology and geomorphological characteristics. High aridity and extremely low temperature lead to scanty vegetation and cold desert with sand dunes and shallow loamy soil cover, which is susceptible to flow failure during rains. During a short spell of summer, sun rays often cause sunburns, and the solar radiation level is extremely high. The soil cover in the sparsely populated region of the country is often getting exploited due to unrestricted mining. Glacier covers have been under threat for the past few decades due to the portending effect of climate change. This chapter presents general geological set-ups, climate and orographic pattern changes, soil profiles along with case histories related to indigenous extreme weather construction materials and extreme weather events.
