Editing Sikkim (section)

===Geology===
[[File:Kanchenjunga waterfalls, Pelling.jpg|thumb|A waterfall in Sikkim]]
The hills of Sikkim mainly consist of [[gneiss]] and [[schist]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Geologic map of Sikkim |url=http://sikenvis.nic.in/Database/GSI_4420.aspx |url-status=live |access-date=10 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810170833/http://sikenvis.nic.in/Database/GSI_4420.aspx |archive-date=10 August 2017}}</ref> which [[Weathering|weather]] to produce generally poor and shallow brown [[clay]] soils. The soil is coarse, with large concentrations of [[iron oxide]]; it ranges from neutral to [[acidic]] and is lacking in organic and mineral nutrients. This type of soil tends to support [[evergreen]] and [[deciduous forest]]s.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bhattacharya |first=B. |title=Sikkim: Land and People |publisher=Omsons Publications |year=1997 |pages=7–10 |isbn=978-81-7117-153-8}}</ref>

The rock consists of [[phyllite]]s and schists, and is highly susceptible to weathering and erosion. This, combined with the state's heavy rainfall, causes extensive soil erosion and the loss of soil nutrients through [[Leaching (agriculture)|leaching]]. As a result, landslides are frequent, often isolating rural towns and villages from the major urban centres.<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Terrain Analysis and Spatial Assessment of Landslide Hazards in Parts of Sikkim |title=Journal of the Geological Society of India v. 47 |year=1996 |page=491}}</ref>