Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Soil
- Weathering processes that help in the formation of soil
- Physical weathering
- Chemical weathering
- Biological weathering
- Summary
- What’s Next?
In the previous segment of the chapter ‘Natural Resources,’ we learned about Water and Water pollution. In this segment, let us get ourselves introduced to how soil is formed.
What is Soil?
Soil is the upper layer of earth in which plants grow. It is a black or dark brown material typically consisting of a mixture of organic remains, clay, and rock particles.
Why is soil important?
The food chain on earth begins from plants. These plants use the water and nutrients from the soil to grow. Thus, without soil, the plants will not be able to survive and therefore the food chain of the earth will be disturbed. Soil is also useful as a home for many living organisms.
Many small organisms like ants, earthworms, etc. reside in the soil. Along with these animals, soil also acts as a shelter for the roots of plants.
Which are the weathering processes that help in the formation of soil?
Weathering is the process that changes solid rock into sediments or soil.
Over long periods of time, thousands and millions of years, the rocks at or near the surface of the Earth are broken down by various weathering processes.
Let us now look at these processes one by one.
(i) Physical weathering: Physical weathering is a process that causes the disintegration of rocks without chemical change. There are many agents that contribute to physical weathering of rocks. Let us look at a few of them.
