Explain the different forms of soil formation?
Answers
Answer:
Red Soil, Alluvial Soil, Black Soil, Later it even Soil.
Explanation:
How soils form
Soil is the thin layer of material covering the earth’s surface and is formed from the weathering of rocks. It is made up mainly of mineral particles, organic materials, air, water and living organisms—all of which interact slowly yet constantly.
Most plants get their nutrients from the soil and they are the main source of food for humans, animals and birds. Therefore, most living things on land depend on soil for their existence.
Soil is a valuable resource that needs to be carefully managed as it is easily damaged, washed or blown away. If we understand soil and manage it properly, we will avoid destroying one of the essential building blocks of our environment and our food security.
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Soil profile showing the different layers or horizons.
The soil profile
As soils develop over time, layers (or horizons) form a soil profile.
Most soil profiles cover the earth as 2 main layers—topsoil and subsoil.
Soil horizons are the layers in the soil as you move down the soil profile. A soil profile may have soil horizons that are easy or difficult to distinguish.
Most soils exhibit 3 main horizons:
A horizon—humus-rich topsoil where nutrient, organic matter and biological activity are highest (i.e. most plant roots, earthworms, insects and micro-organisms are active). The A horizon is usually darker than other horizons because of the organic materials.
B horizon—clay-rich subsoil. This horizon is often less fertile than the topsoil but holds more moisture. It generally has a lighter colour and less biological activity than the A horizon. Texture may be heavier than the A horizon too.
C horizon—underlying weathered rock (from which the A and B horizons form).
Some soils also have an O horizon mainly consisting of plant litter which has accumulated on the soil surface.
The properties of horizons are used to distinguish between soils and determine land-use potential.
Factors affecting soil formation
Soil forms continuously, but slowly, from the gradual breakdown of rocks through weathering. Weathering can be a physical, chemical or biological process:
physical weathering—breakdown of rocks from the result of a mechanical action. Temperature changes, abrasion (when rocks collide with each other) or frost can all cause rocks to break down.
chemical weathering—breakdown of rocks through a change in their chemical makeup. This can happen when the minerals within rocks react with water, air or other chemicals.
biological weathering—the breakdown of rocks by living things. Burrowing animals help water and air get into rock, and plant roots can grow into cracks in the rock, making it split.
The accumulation of material through the action of water, wind and gravity also contributes to soil formation. These processes can be very slow, taking many tens of thousands of years. Five main interacting factors affect the formation of soil:
parent material—minerals forming the basis of soil
living organisms—influencing soil formation
climate—affecting the rate of weathering and organic decomposition
topography—grade of slope affecting drainage, erosion and deposition
time—influencing soil properties.
Interactions between these factors produce an infinite variety of soils across the earth’s surface.