Our planet is rich in natural resources. One of the most valuable of these natural resources can be found right beneath our feet – soil!
Soil is created over many, many years by a process called weathering. Weathering is when rocks and other materials on the Earth’s surface are broken down into smaller pieces by weather (precipitation, changing temperatures), water (waves, currents) and living things (earthworms, people).
Soil can be made of several different substances including rock, clay, sand, silt, and humus. Clay is a red or yellow type of soil that holds water well and contains nutrients. Nutrients are materials that plants and animals need to live and grow. Sand is a type of soil that is made up of small grains of weathered rock. It does not hold water well and has few nutrients. Silt is another type of soil that is made up of very small broken pieces of rock. These pieces of rock are smaller than the rock pieces in sand, but larger than the rock pieces found in clay. Humus is decayed plant and animal matter in the soil. It adds nutrients to the soil that plants need for growth.
The Earth’s soil is also divided into three layers: topsoil, subsoil, and bedrock. The topsoil layer is the top surface of the soil where plants grow and animals live. It is a mixture of weathered rock fragments and humus.
Underneath the topsoil is a layer called the subsoil. Subsoil is a layer of soil made up mostly of clay. It is not as good as topsoil for growing plants.
Beneath the subsoil is a layer of partly weathered rock and solid rock. This layer is called bedrock. Plants would have a very difficult time growing in this layer.
Soil is an important resource that makes many other resources possible. One of the most important roles of soil is to hold the water and nutrients necessary for plants to live and grow. Soil is also an important natural resource for humans and animals that rely on plants for food. Remember, all food chains on Earth begin with a green plant, so…without soil to grow plants in, life on Earth would end!
Because soil is so important to life on Earth and takes hundreds of years to form, it should be conserved or used wisely. The best way to conserve our soil is to protect plant life. Plant life helps to protect the Earth’s topsoil against the effects of erosion. Erosion is a force that gradually wears away the soil and its nutrients. Plants help to hold the soil in place with their roots. Plant leaves protect the soil from the drying sun, the driving winds, and the pouring rain. When humans carelessly remove plant life, the soil is eroded until it is completely gone.
Soil is created over many, many years by a process called weathering. Weathering is when rocks and other materials on the Earth’s surface are broken down into smaller pieces by weather (precipitation, changing temperatures), water (waves, currents) and living things (earthworms, people).
Soil can be made of several different substances including rock, clay, sand, silt, and humus. Clay is a red or yellow type of soil that holds water well and contains nutrients. Nutrients are materials that plants and animals need to live and grow. Sand is a type of soil that is made up of small grains of weathered rock. It does not hold water well and has few nutrients. Silt is another type of soil that is made up of very small broken pieces of rock. These pieces of rock are smaller than the rock pieces in sand, but larger than the rock pieces found in clay. Humus is decayed plant and animal matter in the soil. It adds nutrients to the soil that plants need for growth.
The Earth’s soil is also divided into three layers: topsoil, subsoil, and bedrock. The topsoil layer is the top surface of the soil where plants grow and animals live. It is a mixture of weathered rock fragments and humus.
Underneath the topsoil is a layer called the subsoil. Subsoil is a layer of soil made up mostly of clay. It is not as good as topsoil for growing plants.
Beneath the subsoil is a layer of partly weathered rock and solid rock. This layer is called bedrock. Plants would have a very difficult time growing in this layer.
Soil is an important resource that makes many other resources possible. One of the most important roles of soil is to hold the water and nutrients necessary for plants to live and grow. Soil is also an important natural resource for humans and animals that rely on plants for food. Remember, all food chains on Earth begin with a green plant, so…without soil to grow plants in, life on Earth would end!
Because soil is so important to life on Earth and takes hundreds of years to form, it should be conserved or used wisely. The best way to conserve our soil is to protect plant life. Plant life helps to protect the Earth’s topsoil against the effects of erosion. Erosion is a force that gradually wears away the soil and its nutrients. Plants help to hold the soil in place with their roots. Plant leaves protect the soil from the drying sun, the driving winds, and the pouring rain. When humans carelessly remove plant life, the soil is eroded until it is completely gone.
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