HOW DOES SOIL FORM?

GLOBE NY Metro, 2008

 Why do we study soil? Because Its A(n)

Medium of crop Great integrator

production Snapshot of
geologic,
climatic,
biological, and
Producer and human history
absorber of
gases (CO2 Waste decomposer
and others)

Medium for
plant Source material
growth for construction,
Medium of heat medicine, art, etc.
and
water storage

Home to organisms Filter of

(plants, animals and water and
Essential natural resource wastes
others)
Soils are very different, depending on how they form

United States Department of Agriculture

 5 FACTORS CONTROL THE TYPE OF SOIL
4 factors TIME is the 5th factor
Soil forms by the
control soil-
interaction of the first
forming four factors. It changes
processes to create soil profiles
unique for the
Living things conditions and elapsed
time. A soil profile
Climate consist of layers
called soil horizons
Topography During the GLOBE
Soil
Parent Material Characterization
protocol, you will
describe, sample,
and analyze soil
Photo courtesy,
Ray Weil, PhD horizons near your
school
 ROLES OF THE FIVE FACTORS OF SOIL FORMATION
Living things: Plant roots physically break rocks into small pieces;
lichen dissolves rock; burrowing animals mix the soil and help aeration
Climate: heat and water accelerate chemical changes (so moist,
temperate areas like NYC have different soils than arid, tropical, or
polar areas).
Topography: Loose soil stays in place in flat areas, allowing more
thorough physical and chemical alteration of its grains. On steep
slopes, the soil moves downhill before complete alteration can occur.
occur

Parent material:
material Chemical changes during soil formation depend on
what minerals and rocks are present. Example: Calcium-rich soils
generally form from calcium-rich rocks (like limestone) but not from
calcium-poor rocks like granite.

TIME:
TIME When bedrock is exposed at the surface, chemical, biologic,
and physical processes combine to produce a thin soil layer. Over
time, the processes extend vertically downward, developing soil
horizons whose position and thickness change over time.
If all five factors are the same in two geographic regions,
the soil will be the same in both. Some basic examples of
different soil types include:

Temperate deciduous soil Coniferous forest soil Grassland soil

Tropical rain forest soil Desert soil

Soil is an excellent place to study interactions in the
Earth System, including contributions from the
Atmosphere
Dew (moisture from the air) begins chemical alteration of parent rock
Rain erodes loose soil, preventing further alteration
temperature controls rate and extent of chemical processes
Hydrosphere
Water seeps into the ground, dissolving and redistributing elements
evaporation dries soil, changing its physical characteristics

Biosphere
plants add and remove chemicals
plant roots anchor soil in place, enabling chemical reactions to be completed
animals mix soil; transport seeds, etc.

Geosphere
solid rock and unconsolidated sediment are the parent material for soil
geologic processes (surface and internal) expose and bury rock, etc.
 Hydrologic Cycle and the Soil
Soil Properties related to the hydrologic cycle.

Soil moisture Color

Temperature
Structure
pH

Texture
Horizon
Depths
Bulk Density