Soil and Soil Formation What is soil Soil

Soil and Soil Formation

What is soil • Soil = a loose mixture of small mineral pieces, organic mater, water, and air ▫ All parts help make soil a good place for plants to grow ▫ There are many different types of soil

Where does soil come from? • Soil is made from weathered rock material • Parent rock = rock that breads down and forms a soil is that soils parent rock ▫ different chemicals in parent rock make different chemicals of soil • Bedrock = layer of rock beneath the soil

Major parts of soil • Sand = largest particle • Silt = medium particles • Clay = smallest particles (oldest) • Humus = organic matter

Soil Characteristics • The combination on the mixture of sand, silt, and clay in a soil is called Soil Texture. • Soil texture affects the soil consistency. • Soil Structure is the arrangement of particle in a soil

Soil Fertility • The ability of a soil to hold nutrients and provide them to plants ▫ Some nutrients come from the chemicals on the parent rock ▫ Other nutrients come from the humus in the soil �Humus adds a dark color to the soil

Soil Layers • Horizons • Leaching =water dissolves and removes nutrients as it passes through the soil.

Soil and Climate • Soil types vary from place to place • Different climates have different soils