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Soil develops through a series of changes. [2] The starting point is weathering of freshly accumulated parent material.A variety of soil microbes (bacteria, archaea, fungi) feed on simple compounds released by weathering and produce organic acids and specialized proteins which contribute in turn to mineral weathering.
Weathering is the deterioration of rocks, soils and minerals (as well as wood and artificial materials) through contact with water, atmospheric gases, sunlight, and biological organisms. It occurs in situ (on-site, with little or no movement), and so is distinct from erosion , which involves the transport of rocks and minerals by agents such as ...
The reduction of weathering rate with thickening of soil is related to the exponential decrease of temperature amplitude with increasing depth below the soil surface, and also the exponential decrease in average water penetration (for freely-drained soils). Parameters P 0 and k are related to the climate and type of parent material.
The process of soil formation is dominated by chemical weathering of silicate minerals, aided by acidic products of pioneering plants and organisms as well as carbonic acid inputs from the atmosphere. Carbonic acid is produced in the atmosphere and soil layers through the carbonation reaction. [4]
The process of formation is called laterization. [2] Tropical weathering is a prolonged process of chemical weathering which produces a wide variety in the thickness, grade, chemistry and ore mineralogy of the resulting soils. The majority of the land area containing laterites is between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
Residuum is weathered rock that is not transported by erosion, contributing in time to the formation of soil.It is distinguished from other types of parent material in that it is composed solely of mineral, not organic, material, and it remains in place rather than being moved by the action of wind, water, or gravity.
Soil piping is a particular form of soil erosion that occurs below the soil surface. [237] It causes levee and dam failure, as well as sink hole formation. Turbulent flow removes soil starting at the mouth of the seep flow and the subsoil erosion advances up-gradient. [238]
A soil scientist examining horizons within a soil profile. Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to the use and management of soils.