All three kinds of soil produced by different conditions of climate and vegetation in Liberia are found in Nimba: lateritic soil or latosols or upland soil, clay or swamp soil, and sandy soil. Generally, lateritic soils cover about 75% of Liberia according to W E. Reed.

They are the most typical soils of the humid tropics, where there are alternating wet and dry seasons. This soil type is predominant in Nimba. According to soil scientists, latosols have only 0.24% nitrogen (plant food) and are very acidic.

Their continuous farming requires the constant use of fertilizers, an input that nearly all farming households are too poor to afford, and this may explain the situation of annual bush fallowing by subsistence farmers in the County.

Nevertheless, latosols are more productive than the other soil types and they provide valuable material for road building due to their hardness.