Option: Soil-Forming Processes

Weathering:
1. Weathering can impact the texture, pH and colour of soil.
2. Physical weathering, such as Freeze-thaw action and
exfoliation, influences soil characteristics, impacting on the
particle size of soil and giving soil a crumbly or platy
structure.
3. Freeze-thaw action, or frost shattering, is most effective in
upland areas, with mountainous soils tending to have a
sandier texture as the parent material is weathered more
severely.
4. Desert areas tend to experience exfoliation because of the
high fluctuation between daytime and night-time
temperatures, resulting in soils having a flaky texture.
5. Chemical weathering occurs at a rapid rate in hot climates
due to the hot and humid conditions, with the rapid breaking
down of rocks resulting in great depths of soil.
6. In carbonation, rainwater reacts with the calcium carbonate in
limestone, dissolving it and removing it in a solution,
changing the pH value of the subsequent soil.
7. Hydrolysis breaks down granite when it causes the feldspar in
the rock to change into kaolin clay, changing the texture of
granite-based soil.
8. Oxidation occurs when oxygen in the atmosphere reacts with
iron in the soil, the iron is oxidised and gives soil a reddishbrown colour.

Leaching:
1. Leaching impacts on the organic matter, pH and colour of
soil.
2. Leaching is the removal of soluble material, including
nutrients, from soil by water.
3. Limited leaching is important as it washes humus into the
soil, increasing the organic matter content of the soil.
4. However, when rainfall exceeds evaporation there is a free
downward movement of water through the pores in the soil,
reducing the organic matter content as it is leached down
through the soil profile.
5. Where there is excessive leaching, or laterisation, nutrients
and organic matter are washed out of the A-horizon and
deposited out of the reach of plant roots.
6. Laterisation is an extreme leaching process that is widespread
in tropical and equatorial regions due to the high levels of
precipitation.
7. Heavy rainfall washes nutrients out of the reach of plant roots
and because of the hot climate, the vegetation decays at a
rapid pace so there is little acid in the soil, affect the pH
levels of the soil.
8. As a result, large concentrations of iron remain in the soil,
close to the surface, giving the soil a reddish colour.
9. This iron-rich A-horizon may turn into a hardpan on exposure
to the oxygen in the atmosphere, reducing the soils water
retention.

Podzolisation:
1. Podzolisation affects the pH, colour, structure and water
retention of soil.

2. Podzol soils are formed by acidified rainwater dissolving

almost all the constituents, including clay particles, of another
soil.

3. The vegetation of coniferous forest and peat often give the

rainwater a pH of 4.5 or lower, increasing the acidic pH
levels of the soil.

4. The acidified rainwater also drains the soils coloured

minerals except the more resistant quartz, leaving the Ahorizon an ash-grey colour.

5. The B-horizon receives the majority of the dissolved organic

matter and minerals, giving the soil a dark brown colour.

6. When elements of iron oxide (rust) are in these minerals, it

can also give the soil a rustic reddish colour.

7. Podzolisation can also change the structure of the soil as the

grains of soil in the B-Horizon cement together to form a
hardpan, changing the structure of the soil.

8. The development of a hardpan also reduces the soils ability

to retain water, which can lead to waterlogging and lack of
aeration.