Did you know that it takes a thousand years to form a one-inch thick layer of soil?
We find soil all around us. What is soil? What are its components? How is soil formed? What are the different layers of soil?
Let us explore the answers to the above questions.
Dig a pit in a suitable area using a spade. Collect a sample of soil from this pit and mix it with water in a glass jar. Stir well, and then allow the contents to settle. Observe the components.
What do you see?
Organisms like ants and earthworms, decaying leaves, plant roots, small pebbles, rock particles etc are commonly observed.
You will also see soil particles of varied colours, and sizes. These settle down at different regions in the glass jar. The larger and heavier particles settle at the bottom of the glass, while the finer soil particles form the top layer. Soil particles of intermediate size, form the middle layer. These are the components of the soil.
Decaying leaves and dead organisms are called Humus.
How is soil formed?
Soil is formed by a process called weathering. The process of weathering occurs as a result of the action of wind, water, or climatic changes.
Weathering is the process that breaks down large rocks into smaller pieces. These small pieces of rocks form soil by mixing with decaying plants and animal parts.
Thus, is soil uniform throughout? Let us find out
Dig a deep pit vertically into the ground. What do you observe? Is the appearance of the soil same as you go deeper into the pit?
No. As we dig deeper, the nature of the soil changes in terms of its colour, contents, texture, chemical composition etc. Thus, different regions or layers of soil can be observed.
What are these layers of soil? Let us find out more
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