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From weathering to… SOIL

From weathering to… SOIL. Weathering has led to valuable mineral deposits and has provided materials for sedimentary rocks. Most important, weathering has helped form a priceless resource— Earth’s life-supporting SOIL . FORMATION. A soil is formed as its parent material is weathered away.

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From weathering to… SOIL

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  1. From weathering to…SOIL Weathering has led to valuable mineral deposits and has provided materials for sedimentary rocks. Most important, weathering has helped form a priceless resource—Earth’s life-supporting SOIL.

  2. FORMATION • A soil is formed as its parent material is weathered away. • The rate of this weathering depends on • the type of rock • the climate of the location. • Over time, organic material—decaying plant and animal remains—are mixed with the materials that have weathered away from the bedrock and a layer of soil covers the parent material. • Average soil: 45% mineral, 5% organic material, 25% water, 25% air

  3. PROFILE • Soil scientists can study soils by digging down to the parent material. • The cross section of earth exposed by the digging is called the soil profile.

  4. SOIL HORIZONS (Unweathered bedrock)

  5. COMPOSITION • The rock material in soil contains 3 noticeable parts: • Sand (2mm- .05mm) • Silt (.05mm - .002mm) • Clay (< .002mm) • The variety of combinations determines a soils texture. • The amount of these materials in a particular soil can affect the soil’s ability to hold water and air which are necessary for plant growth. • For example, soil that is very sandy holds water easily but dries out quickly. • LOAM (a mix of sand, silt, clay, and organic material) is a soil texture with both the ability to hold water and allow drainage.

  6. FACTORS … that affect COMPOSITION • Time • Parentmaterial: • Plants and animals • Topography • *CLIMATE (see next slide) Sandy soil is rich in quartz which is from weathered granite Clay-rich soil comes from basalt and is rich in feldspar

  7. CLIMATEand soil

  8. SOIL TEXTURE PYRAMID

  9. CLICK on this pyramid to see an ANIMATION of how this works

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