Explain five factors that affect soil formation.
Answers
Answer:
Five factors that affect soil formation.
Soil research has shown that soil profiles are influenced by five separate, yet interacting, factors: parent material, climate, topography, organisms, and time. Soil scientists call these the factors of soil formation.
FACTORS AFFECTING SOIL FORMATION :
Soil formation is influenced by five factors – The parent rock , the topography , the climate , the vegetation cover and time.
★ The Parent Rock : The original rock from which soil is formed by the process of weathering is known as parent rock . For example , the black soil of India is derived from the Lava rock.
★ The topography : Topographical variations such as mountain , plateaus and Plains affect the thickness of a soil cover. In mountainous region on steep slopes , the top layer of soil is Shallow and thin. On the other hand , at gentle slopes , the soil cover is thick and deep. Soil cover is always thick in planes. For example, the northern plain of India have thick soil cover as compared to the Himalayas. Even within mountains , river valleys have thick soil cover.
★ The Climate : Climatic factors, live temperature and rainfall affect the soil formation. In the areas of high rainfall and extreme temperature , Rock are easily weathered.
★ The Vegitation Cover : At times, plant grow in the cracks existing in a rock. With time, roots of this plant starts penetrating in the cracks and make them wider. As a result , as a result cracks disintegrate into smaller pieces and help in soil formation.
★ Time : Time gives maturity to the soil. Althrough soil is a renewable resources , yet it takes thousands of year to develop a very thin layer of soil on the earth's surface. For example , The Nile delta and formed by the Ganga and Bramhaputra rivers have deep and fertile soil.