SOIL

CHAPTER-9
 CW 102
IMPORTANCE OF SOIL
 HOW IS SOIL FORMED?

Soil is the uppermost layer of the Earth's surface. It is formed by the

breakdown of rocks over thousands of years by a process called
weathering.

Weathering is the process of breaking down rocks into smaller

particles by the action of wind and water, change in temperature and
penetrating roots of plants.

Weathering is a continuous and natural process that occurs due to

heat, cold,  wind, rain and frost, and also due to biological factors like
roots of plants and soil organisms.

Weathering is of three types: physical, chemical and biological.

STAGES OF SOIL FORMATION
 STAGES OF SOIL FORMATION
● First stage:  Parent rock or Bedrock get broken down into
smaller-sized rocks by the action of wind, water or change in
temperature or with the help of decaying remains of plants and
animals present in the parent rock.

● Second Stage: Weathering continues to form smaller rock particles.

In this stage the dead plants and animals present in the soil get
decayed by the action of bacteria are the microorganisms to form
humus.

● Third stage: In this stage, mineral and salts reach deeper into the soil
with water and increase the fertility of the soil to make it suitable for
growth of plants.
☆ Humus – The decaying matter in the soil is called Humus.

☆ Weathering - Soil is formed when rocks break down. This process is

also called Weathering. The weathering of rocks takes place because of
rains, flowing water, winds, temperature and climatic conditions of a
place.

☆ Parent Rock - The nature of the soil that is its texture and availability of
minerals depends upon the rock from which it is formed. This rock is
often called as the Parent Rock.
 FACTORS AFFECTING SOIL
FORMATION
● There are many factors that affect soil formation:

● Climate: Climate conditions like harsh wind, rainfall and fluctuating

temperature leads to the formation of cracks in the rocks.

● Landscape: The landscape in the hills facilitate the running down of

water,  thereby eroding the rocks with more intensity and causing them
to break or crack.

● Nature of the parent rock: Soil formed will have similar composition as

that of the parent rock. For instance, if the parent rock has high calcium
content  the soil formed will also be rich in calcium.
 CW 103
SOIL PROFILE

● The soil consists of distinct layers

which are also called Horizons of the
Soil.

● The Soil Profile is a vertical section

of the soil which depicts all the layers
of the soil. The layers of the soil can
be seen if we dig deep through it like
while creating a well or while laying
the foundation of a building.
 CW 104
MAIN HORIZONS OF THE SOIL
● Horizon A (topsoil): It is the uppermost layer of soil. The soil is made
up of sand, silt, clay and pebbles. It is rich in humus. It is a fertile layer
of soil. Horizon A  supports plants. This layer vary from place to place.
It can be loamy, clayey, silty or sandy.

● Horizon B  (subsoil): Compared to Horizon A, this is a harder region,

contains a large amount of pebbles, little humus, roots of trees and
shrubs. It is a storehouse of minerals.

● Horizon C: Below the subsoil is the infertile zone (lacking humus) that
contains partially weathered rocks with a lot of cracks and crevices.

● Horizon R: This layer is the lowermost layer in the soil profile and is
known as the Bedrock as it contains hard rocks that provide the base
to the other three layers. Rain water accumulates above this layer and
forms water table.
 CW 105
TYPES OF SOIL
 TYPES OF SOIL

1. SANDY SOIL

● Sandy soil has big particles that have large spaces between them.
● The spaces between these particles are filled with air. Hence,
sandy soils are called well-aerated soils.
● Because of large spaces, water can easily penetrate through the
particles of sand. Sandy soils, however, cannot hold water.
● Hence, sandy soils are light aerated and dry in nature.
● Sandy soils lack much nutrients hence do not support the diverse
growth of plants.
 2. CLAYEY SOIL

● It consists of fine particles which have less space between them.

● Since there is not much space between the particles clayey soils are
not well-aerated like sandy soils.
● The tiny gaps between the particles although allow absorption of
water in the clayey soils easily
● They are able to hold water hence are suitable for the growth of
different kinds of plants.
 3. LOAMY SOIL
● Loamy soil contains a similar amount of large and small particles
in them.
● They are combination of sandy, clayey and silty soil.
● They also contain humus.
● They can hold water in appropriate amounts and therefore support
the growth of plants.
● They are also called Agricultural Soils because of their fertility and
appropriate texture.
● They contain good amounts of calcium and have a high pH level.
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SANDY, CLAYEY AND
LOAMY SOIL
Property Sandy Soil Clayey Soil Loamy Soil

Composition

Size of particle

Packing of particles

Water Retention
(moisture content)

Water Drainage

Aeration

Weight of soil

Fertility

Location