erosion and soils

Erosion and Soils

Name

Institution

Components of soil

It takes a long period of time for soil characteristic to develop through a variety of processes acting in unison. The usual soil comprises of 50% organic material and mineral and the other half open pores full of water and air. Certain physical processes crush down rock particles into even smaller pieces. Chemical processes then change the mineral composition of the parent rock material or sediment and end in new minerals. A number of things including plant roots, invertebrates and microbes mix and compost organic material and minerals into a novel matrix of soil. Together, these chemical, physical and biological processes are known as weathering. Such weathering processes, after a while, soften, fragment, and crush bedrock apart, thus forming a layer known as regolith. Other types of regolith include mineral particles transported by glaciers, streams, water currents, waves and winds. More often than not, the top layer of regolith weathers and forms soil. Thus, soil includes mineral from plants, vertebrate and invertebrate animals, microorganisms and rock material, as well. Some humus gets carried deep into the soil while some rests on the soil.

Soil properties

Soil can be categorized using properties like structure, color, texture and moisture. Color is the most palpable characteristic. While some soils are dark brown or black, others might be yellow or red. The color comes about during the process of soil formation. Soil structure, on its part, is the way in which soil grains clump together to form large masses referred to as peds, which range from small to large grains. Soils that have a well-developed blocky or granular structure can be easily cultivated. This factor can sustain the non-mechanized type of farming. Soil moisture is also another characteristic that defines soil. It determines how the soils of a certain region will support crops and general vegetation.

Reference

Strahler, A. H., & Strahler, A. N. (2006). Introducing physical geography. New York: J. Wiley.