Question

What is soil? Explain the major factors of soil formation? It is a 5 marker question so 7-8 points need to be written.

Answer 1

Answer:

Soil is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Earth's body of soil, called the pedosphere, has four important functions

Soil is a major component of the Earth's ecosystem. The world's ecosystems are impacted in far-reaching ways by the processes carried out in the soil, from ozone depletion and global warming to rainforest destruction and water pollution. With respect to Earth's carbon cycle, the soil is an important carbon reservoir, and it is potentially one of the most reactive to human disturbance and climate change. As the planet warms, it has been predicted that soils will add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere due to increased biological activity at higher temperatures, positive feedback (amplification). This prediction has, however, been questioned on consideration of more recent knowledge on soil carbon turnover.

Explanation:

Answer 2

Answer:

Soil is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life.

Explanation:

• Climate is a direct factor in soil formation. It determines how temperature and moisture vary and determines the intensity of the weathering processes. Indirectly, climatic factors also govern vegetation growth at the interface of soil, atmosphere and biosphere.

• Organisms, including flora and fauna, are not an independent factor in soil formation. Both continuously interact with climate, relief and soil parent material over time. Vegetation delivers organic material for humus formation and a forest regulates the climate of its surrounding.

• Relief and topography define the micro-climatic conditions under which soil formation takes place, as well as the proximity of soil to the ground water table. Soils on steep, barren terrain are more prone to erosion than those on plains, or on plant-covered surfaces.

• Parent material in the form of rock and sediment builds the initial substrate for soil formation. It defines a soil’s chemical and mineralogical composition and influences soil texture and structure.

• Time describes an ongoing factor of soil formation. The intensity and combination of different factors leading to soil formation change over time. Time, therefore, is not always an indicator of the exact age of a soil or the stage of a soil’s development.