Soils derive their strength from contact between particles capable of transmitting normal as well as shear forces. The contact between soil particles is mainly due to friction and...

Natural drainage pattern is the route through the rain/other water flows following the natural gradient till it reach some final outlet point where it meets a bit larger course of water.

The low artificially built part of a structure which transmits the load of the structure to the ground is called foundation. Foundation of a structure is always constructed below the ground level so as to increase the lateral stability of the structure.

Soil Bearing Capacity concept, formula and equations... drained, Un Drained Shear strength vs bearing capacity of soil under different loading conditions
The bearing capacity of cohesive (plastic) soil, such as silts and clays is more complicated than the bearing capacity of non-cohesive (non-plastic) soil.

It is the total pressure at the base of the footing due to the weight of the superstructure and earth fill, if any.Net pressure intensity It is the increase in pressure at foundation level, being the total weight less than the weight of the soil permanently removed.

It is the maximum pressure which may be applied to the soil such that the two fundamental requirements are satisfied Limiting the settlement to a tolerable amount.

It is the least pressure which would cause shear failure if the supporting soil immediately below and adjacent to a foundation.

In foundation practices, the main point of concern is bearing capacity of soil. Bearing capacity can be defined as the maximum load that can be carried by the soil strata. When the soil is strong enough that it can carry the whole load coming on it, then we use shallow foundation. Shallow foundations are usually used where hard soil strata is available at such a depth that construction of foundation is not too costly.