   |
   |
   |
|
What is soil made of? For one thing it's not just made of dirt. Dirt is
made of materials that plants avoid growing in. Soil, on the other hand
is
made up
of a mixture of
decayed organic material, living organisms, and minerals. The organic
materials comes from dead
plants like banana peels and last year's leaves. The living organisms
range in size from moles to microscopic bacteria. The minerals come
from the rocks underground which are
classified as bedrock. Soil is made up of many layers. This is due to the fact that plants grow on top of the soil and rocks are found underground. The type of soil that forms in a region will depend upon the climate, the bedrock underground, or the plants growing there. Although all soils are made of these basic ingredients, there are many variations. In forests for example, the soil may be deep, rich, and may have a dark brown color. In sandy areas the soil will be dry with a dusty gray color. In tropical regions the soil is often very deep and bright red.
These
are the pictures of soil that were grown in different parts of the
world.
See
the
difference?
How Does Climate Effect Soil? In
the United States there are two main types of soil, pedocals
and pedalfers.
Climate and bedrock
influence the type of soil that forms.
In western United States, where the rainfall is less then 63
centimeters yearly, the type of soil that forms there is pedocal.
Pedocals is rich in calcium and is slightly alkaline.
In the eastern
part of the United States where the rainfall exceeds 63 centimeter, the
soil type is mainly pedalfers. Pedalfers is rich in aluminum and iron
compound produced when water and oxygen react with common rock forming
minerals.
 |
