Soils are considered as an integral part of the landscape and their characteristics are largely governed by the landforms in which they are developed. The factors involved in physiographic processes more or less correspond to the factors of soil formation and hence the knowledge of physiographic processes serves to indicate the broad pattern of soil development (Sharma et al. 1980). Such variations in the development of soils on different physiographic conditions have been reported by several workers (Sawhney et al. 2000; Suresh Kumar et al. 2001). Information on physiography–soil relationship in coastal areas of north Karnataka is scanty. The present study, thus was aimed at establishing soillandscape relationship in the area using remote sensing technique along with conventional field and laboratory approaches.

The study area is Kumta taluk of Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka and it lies between 140 20’12.48" N and 140 36.2'31.56" N latitudes and 740 172 24.75" E and 740 41’46.71" E longitudes (Fig 1). The elevation ranges from almost sea level to 800 m above mean sea level. The average rainfall is 352.2 cm. The mean annual air temperature is 27.6 0C with a mean maximum and minimum temperatures of 31.71 0C and 23.48 0C, respectively. The geology of the area consists of rock formation of Archean complex consisting of Archean granites and gneisses with their sparse bands of Dharwar system of rocks are capped by laterite at many places. The study area is included in the coastal zone of Karnataka that comprises two major geomorphological zones viz. Fluvio-littoral formation and dissected hilly hinterland (Dasog and Patil 2002). Moist deciduous, semi-evergreen and evergreen forests mostly cover the hilly terrain. The major land use in the area is plantation crops followed