Soil
From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science
Soils for the most part consist of three particles which are sand, silt and clay. The desired soil on average will contain 45% minerals, 25% water and 5% organic matter from decomposition of plants and animal material.
Soil is the product of five formation factors; parent material, climate, biota, topography, and time. It is defined as any loose or unconsolidated material on the uppermost surface of the Earth that is capable of supporting life. Soils develop slowly over time and form distinctive layers or horizons. A soil has many diagnostic properties, dependent upon the quality of factors acting on the genesis of the soil. Of the many properties of soil the main ones include texture, structure and color.
Soil structure is the size, shape, and arrangement of particles into characteristic shapes or peds. When the sample is moist, a soil with strong structure will naturally break into smaller shapes of the original piece. Soils with weak structure are described as massive and the shape of broken pieces do not resemble the ped from which it was broken. Structure shape can be described as granular, blocky, prismatic, columnar, platy, and massive.
Soil texture is the proportion of sand, silt and clay particles. The particle sizes are determined by diameter; sand being 2 - 0.05 mm, silt 0.05 - 0.002 mm and clay is less than 0.002 mm. Texture can be determined through particle size analysis and the textural triangle. The textural triangle separates texture into twelve classes ranging from sand to clay.
Related References
- The Dirt on Soil Discover School
