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the Soil :
Soil
Soil is like a skin over the earth’s
crust, and is essential in enhancing
life on earth.
There are six main contributors to
soil:
- Parent rocks and sediments
- Climate
- Landscape
- Vegetation and living creatures
- Time
- Man
• The parent rock or sediment is the main factor responsible for the
texture of the soil and is also important in determining the pH of
the soil and how rich it is in nutrients.
• For example
– Shale clay
– Sandstone sand
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Climate
• The two main climatic influences:
– Temperatures increase the rate at which the breakdown of
the underlying rock takes place and also the release of
nutrients into the soil.
– Rainfall and snowmelt break down rock to form soil and
distribute soil nutrients.
• In hot, wet climates such as the tropics soils tend to be deep.
• In cold, artic areas the soils tend to be thin and poorly developed.
• Once the rocks have been broken down into smaller materials, the vegetation is
able to supply its dying remains as a source of nutrients to help enhance the soil
while adding organic matter.