WELCOME TO OUR

EARTH SCIENCE
CL ASS
 SOIL
AND
SOIL PROFILE
 SOIL

 forms the pedosphere

living skin of the earth which is a result of the interaction
among the atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere,
and hydrosphere
“pedon” – soil “sfaira” – sphere

 the result of the process of the gradual breakdown of rock - the

solid geology that makes up the earth. As rock becomes broken
down through certain processes, such as weathering and erosion, the
particles become ground smaller and smaller.
SOIL PROFILE

 an
important tool in nutrient
management
 a vertical section of the soil from the
ground surface downwards to where
the soil meets the underlying rock
 By examining a soil profile, we can
gain insight into soil fertility.
As the soil weathers and organic
matter decomposes, the profile of the
soil changes.
FACTORS THAT AFFECT SOIL FORMATION
1. Climate – temperature, rainfall and moisture affects the pattern of soil-forming
processes
2. Biological factors
• animals - mix the soil through burrowing
• plant roots - aid in weathering processes
• microorganisms - affect nutrient and chemical exchanges between roots and soil
• human activities like agriculture and urbanization
3. Relief/ Topography
– the gradient of the slope affects water flow and erosion
– where water and other materials accumulate on or leave the landscape
4. Parent material – what is being altered into soil
5. Time – formation of soil may take hundreds to thousands of years depending on
COMPONENTS OF SOIL
 45% mineral (gravel, sand, silt, and clay)
 25% air
 25% water
 5% organic matter (humans, roots, dead and decaying organisms)

COMPONENTS OF SOIL PROFILE

 Soil horizon - makes up a distinct layer of soil
 Regolith - includes all of the weathered material within the profile
a. Solum - upper horizons with the most weathered portion
b. Saprolite - least weathered portion that lies directly above
the bedrock but beneath the regolith
SOIL TEXTURE
- relative proportion of the
particle sizes in soil
clay (<0.002 mm)
 silt (0.002-0.005 mm)
 sand (0.005-2.00 mm) SOIL TEXTURAL TRIANGLE

 gravel and rock (>75.00 mm)

Loam – ideal soil for agricultural

use
MASTER HORIZONS
O horizon (organic horizon)
- a surface horizon that is comprised of organic material at
various stages of decomposition
- most prominent in forested areas where there is the
accumulation of debris fallen from trees
A horizon (surface horizon)
- consists of minerals (sand, silt, and clay) and with amounts
of organic matter
- predominantly the surface layer of many soils in grasslands and
agricultural lands
E horizon
- characterized by a significant loss of minerals (eluviation)
and leaching
Leaching - process in which soluble nutrients are lost
from the soil due to precipitation or irrigation
- typically light in color

B horizon (subsoil)
- accumulated clay and other nutrients from the layers above it
- a site of deposition of minerals that have leached from the layers
above
C horizon (substratum)
- least weathered horizon
- composed of loose or partly decayed organic matter
- also known as saprolite; it is an unconsolidated, loose
parent material

R horizon
- hard bedrock
 SOIL ORDERS
1. Gelisols – frozen soils found
2. Histosols – high organic content and wet
3. Spondosols – sand and acidic soils found in moist climates
4. Andisols – composed of volcanic ash
5. Oxisols – very weathered and common in tropical climates
6. Vertisols – claylike soils that shrink and swell
7. Aridisols – very dry soils in arid regions
8. Ultisols – weathered soils
9. Mollisols – deep and fertile soils
10. Alfisols – moderately weathered soils
11. Imceptisols – slightly developed young soils
12. Entisols – newly formed soils
WHAT TO DO?
1. HOW DO FARMING AND URBANIZATION IN
THE PHILIPPINES AFFECT THE QUALITY AND
QUANTITY OF THE SOIL?
2. WHAT WOULD THE WORLD BE WITHOUT
SOIL?
3. WHAT ARE THE FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE
CHARACTERISTIC OF THE SOIL?
WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT?
WHAT HUMAN ACTIVITIES ARE
DEPENDENT ON THE USE OF
SOIL AS A RESOURCE AND
HOW DO THESE ACTIVITIES
AFFECT THE SOIL QUALITY?