Soils
LI: I IDENTIFY THE PROPERTIES OF SOIL, INCLUDING COLOR, TEXTURE, CAPACITY TO STORE WATER, AND ABILITY TO SUPPORT PLAN GROWTH.
Soils are the top layer of the earth's crust, consisting of rock erosion and organic decay along with rocks and fungi.
Soils are the top layer of the earth's crust, consisting of rock erosion and organic decay along with rocks and fungi.
- Soil includes loose weathered rock, and organic material in which plant roots can grow.
- The first step in soil formation is the weathering of parent rock into smaller pieces.
- Eventually, very small particles from parent rock are mixed in with organic matter to form soil.
- The type of sediment in soil depends on what rocks are in the area. This helps to explain why soils differ from place to place.
- Can take thousands of years to form
- Soil can be classified according to such characteristics as:
- Size Of Particles
- Texture indicates the relative content of particles of various sizes, such as sand, silt and clay in the soil. Soil texture can be classified as
-Course Texture:These soils have a sandy/ gravelly texture. They feel gritty and can roll between your fingers. Grains can be seen with the naked eye.
-Medium Texture: Also called loam. Composed of sand, silt and clay in nearly equal proportions.
-Fine Texture: Made up of clay. Feel greasy or sticky. Have little texture when wet - Porosity: The amount of empty space in a soil or rock.
- Permeability: A measure of the ease with which liquids and gases pass through a soil or rock.
Erosion is the process by which the surface of the Earth gets worn down. Erosion can be caused by natural elements such as wind and glacial ice. But anyone who has ever seen a picture of the Grand Canyon knows that nothing beats the slow steady movement of water when it comes to changing the Earth.
The key to erosion is something called "fluid flow." Water, air, and even ice are fluids because they tend to flow from one place to another due to the force of gravity. Of the three, liquid water is the most common agent of erosion because there's so much of it on the surface of the Earth.
The key to erosion is something called "fluid flow." Water, air, and even ice are fluids because they tend to flow from one place to another due to the force of gravity. Of the three, liquid water is the most common agent of erosion because there's so much of it on the surface of the Earth.