An Introduction to

Soils and Soil

Terminology
A PowerPoint resource to accompany the posters available at:

http://www.macaulay.ac.uk/soilposters/1.pdf
http://www.macaulay.ac.uk/soilposters/5.pdf
 Soil: some definitions
Soil can be defined as the solid material on the Earth’s surface
that results from the interaction of weathering and biological activity on
the parent material or underlying hard rock.

The study of soils as naturally occurring

phenomena is called pedology
(from the Greek word pedon, meaning soil
or earth).

Pedology takes into account:

• factors and processes of soil formation

• soil characteristics
• distribution of soil types
The basic unit of study: Soil Profiles
A soil profile is a vertical cross-
TOPSOIL, section of a soil. It is divided into a
upper or A number of distinct layers, referred to
horizon as horizons.
The horizons are normally
SUBSOIL, designated by symbols and letters.
middle or B
horizon The presence or absence of
particular horizons allows pedologists
(soil scientists) to classify the soil.
In addition, the organic or O horizon
PARENT
can form above the mineral soil-
MATERIAL,
lower or C commonly in forested areas,
horizon resulting from the dead plant and
animal remains.
This diagram shows simplified
soil horizons
 Soil Horizons

Fresh vegetation The horizons may be further

subdivided.
For example, in this soil profile
Dead vegetation-Litter (L) the A horizon has been divided
Fermenting litter (F) into 4 further pedological
horizons:

A horizon
• (L) leaf litter
Humus (H)
• (F) fermenting leaf litter
• (H) humus
• (E) eluvial
Eluvial horizon (E)
These lie above the (B) or illuvial
horizon.
Illuvial horizon (B)
 Soil Forming Factors
Soils develop as a result of the interplay of 5 factors; Parent
material, climate, organisms, relief and time.
Parent material

Time
SOIL Climate
FORMING
FACTORS

Relief (landforms and Organisms: vegetation,

topography) fauna and soil biota

Click over factors for further explanation. Use back button to return to this slide
Parent Material
This is the material from which the soil has
developed and can vary from solid rock to
deposits like alluvium and boulder clay. It
has been defined as ‘the initial state of the
soil system’.
Jenny H (1941) Factors of soil formation. McGraw-Hill Book Co Inc pp281.

The parent material can influence the soil in

a number of ways:
• colour
• texture
• structure
• mineral composition
• permeability/drainage
This soil has developed on Old Red Sandstone
and so has derived its distinctive colour from
its parent material.
Climate
This is probably the most important
factor (soils produced from the same
parent material under different climates
contrast). Climate governs the rate and
type of soil formation and is also the
main determinant of vegetation
distribution.
Soil climate has two major components;
moisture (precipitation) and temperature,
influencing evaporation. When
precipitation exceeds evaporation,
leaching of the soil will occur.
Temperature determines the rate of
reactions; chemical and biological decay
and so has an influence on weathering
and humification.
Organisms : vegetation, fauna
and soil microbes
Organisms influencing soil development range
form microscopic bacteria to large animals
including man. Micro organisms such as bacteria
and fungi assist in the decomposition of plant litter.
This litter is mixed into the soil by macro organisms
(soil animals) such as worms and beetles.
Soil horizons are less distinct when there is much
soil organism activity.
Higher plants influence
the soil in many ways.
The nature of the soil
humus is determined
by the vegetation cover
and resultant litter
inputs. Roots
contribute dead roots
to the soil, bind soil
particles together and
can redistribute and
compress soil.
Relief (landforms and topography)
Relief is not static; it is a dynamic system (its study is called geomorphology).
Relief influences soil formation in several ways:

• It influences soil profile thickness i.e. as angle of slope increases so

does the erosion hazard
• it has an effect on climate which is also a soil forming factor
• gradient affects run-off, percolation and mass movement
• it influences aspect which creates microclimatic conditions

In this photograph soils

are thin on the glacially
eroded rock outcrops
but are much deeper
on the raised beach
deposits in the
foreground.
 Time
Soils develop very slowly. In Britain it
takes about 400 years for 10mm of soil
to develop.
Recent soil
Young soils retain many of the
characteristics of the parent material.
Over time they acquire other features
resulting from the addition of organic
matter and the activity of organisms.
Buried soil
The soils of Britain are relatively
young because they are largely
post-glacial.

An important feature of soils is that

they pass through a number of stages
as they develop, resulting in a deep
profile with many well differentiated
This soil profile shows a recent soil in horizons.
Culbin Forest which has formed on
sand overlying an ancient buried profile
 Soil Forming Factors
Soils are complex and dynamic systems, in which many processes are
taking place.
Decomposition
Weathering and Humification

Capillary SOIL Leaching

action PROCESSES

Translocation
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