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Understanding Soil Origin and Development: Structures, Horizons, and Forming Factors

This chapter delves into the formation and structure of soil, introducing key concepts such as pedons, polypedons, and the soil series. It explores the weathering of rocks into soil through physical and chemical processes, leading to the development of distinct soil horizons. The chapter identifies five critical soil-forming factors: parent material, climate, living organisms, topography, and time. Additionally, it covers the soil profile, including master and main horizons, emphasizing the processes of addition, loss, translocation, and transformation that shape soils over time.

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Understanding Soil Origin and Development: Structures, Horizons, and Forming Factors

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  1. INTRO TO SOILS – CH 2 Soil Origin and Development

  2. THE SOIL BODY • Pedon – smallest body which can be called a soil • Three-dimensional • Typically extends down to depth of plant root

  3. THE SOIL BODY • Polypedon – two or more contiguous pedons • Form a Soil Series • Soil Series are the lowest official category in the soil taxonomy

  4. THE SOIL BODY • Weathering of rocks and minerals forms pedons • Two types of weathering: • Physical weathering • Chemical weathering Eventually, a layer of young soil develops

  5. THE SOIL BODY • Three types of rock: • Igneous • Sedimentary • Metamorphic

  6. THE SOIL BODY • Five (5) Soil Forming Factors • Parent Material • Climate • Living Organisms (plant and animal) • Topography • Time

  7. THE SOIL PROFILE • Soils change in response to their environment • Four processes of change: • Additions • Losses • Translocations • Transformations

  8. THE SOIL PROFILE • As a soil ages these changes lead to formation of horizontal layers known as: • Soil Horizons These horizons may be exposed when digging into the soil revealing the: • Soil Profile

  9. THE SOIL PROFILE • Master Horizons: • A, B, C • Main Horizons: • O, A, E, B, C, R Coded layers of horizon with distinct characteristics Not all horizons will always be present!

  10. THE SOIL PROFILE • Subdivisions and Suffixes may further define the main horizons • e.g. AB, Ap, Bt, Bky See Appendix 4 for suffix explanations

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