soil formation
DESCRIPTION
Soil Formation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTzslvAD1Es. What is Soil?. Loose covering of broken rock particles and humus (decaying organic matter ) Found in nearly all regions of the Earth Formed by chemical and physical weathering Affected by climate Four types. Polar Soil. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Soil Formationhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTzslvAD1Es
What is Soil?
• Loose covering of broken rock particles and humus (decaying organic matter)
• Found in nearly all regions of the Earth• Formed by chemical and physical weathering• Affected by climate• Four types
How Soil is Formed
• Requires 5 things:– parent material, topography, climate, organisms, time
• Creates soil horizons
Weathering• Physical– Temperature, pressure
• Chemical– Water (hydrolysis), oxygen (oxidation), carbon
dioxide (carbonic acid), acid rain
Erosion• Movement of weathered material from one
location to another– By water, air, ice
Topography
Climate
• Cool, dry, sparse vegetation– Predominantly physical weathering
• Warm, wet, abundant vegetation– Increased chemical weathering
Global Soil Distribution
Polar Soil
• Form at high latitudes/elevations• Found in Greenland, Canada, Antarctica• Generally have good drainage• Very shallow
Temperate Soil
• Form in temperate areas • Found in the eastern US, Europe, eastern Asia,
southern Africa and South America• Wide variation - based on annual rainfall
amounts
Desert Soil
• Form in arid regions • Found in western US, northern Africa,
Australia, Middle East, parts of Russia & China• Can only support a limited amount of
vegetation
Tropical Soil
• Form in areas that have high temperatures & heavy rainfall
• Found in South America, central Africa, India, Indonesia
• Soil is generally very poor in nutrients
Geohazards
Geohazards• Landslides• Mudslides• Avalanches• Falling rock• Volcanoes• Earthquakes• Floods
Geohazard Protection