Soil Flashcards
What’s in soil
Mineral matter Air Water Living organisms Humus
How is soil formed
Climate Time Vegetation Parent material Living organism Landscape
Plant litter / O horizon
Contains organic matter
Plant litter- leaves + decomposing vegetation
Provides humus
A horizon
Upper layer - topsoil Most organisms live here High humus content Dark colour Fertile
B horizon
Lighter colour because less humus
Closer to bedrock - more stones
Protected by A horizon
C horizon
Bed rock - parent material
Solid rock
Upper layer may be broken
Hard pan
Impermeable layer
What is leaching
Washes humus + nutrients from A and B horizon
Interfere with plant growth
Minerals built up at bottom of A horizon = hard pan
Soil becomes waterlogged
Irish soils
Brown earth
Podzol
Peaty
Gley
Brown earth soil
Most common Low midland areas Boulder clay deposited at end of ice age Deciduous forests - provide plant material for humus Dark colour Fertile , little leaching Used for arable and pastoral farming
Podzol soil
Damp upland area
Coniferous forest - provides limited amount of plant litter
Plant litter decays slowly in cold =little humus
Leaching
Grey colour
Relatively fertile
Tropical red soil
Hot wet weather Tropical zones Chemical weathering causes bedrock to break down High acidity Reddish colour = iron Leaching Very fertile
What is soil
Soil is a layer of loose material that covers the earths surface
