SCIENCE 4: SOIL

Soil
 top most part of earth’s crust

KINDS
1. Topsoil
o uppermost layer of the soil
o contains waste matter from animals and plants and is rich in nutrients that plants need
for growth
o contains water and air and may vary in thickness from 2-60 cm
o darker in color than other layers
o most fertile because of humus – dark brown organic material that is produced from
decaying plants and animals

2. Subsoil
o beneath the topsoil
o thicker than topsoil
o does not contain organic materials
o made up of lots of pebbles and big pieces of rocks
o very little or no humus at all

3. Bedrocks
o composed of big fragment of rocks and gravel from which the topsoil is produces
through weathering
 weathering
 the process by which rocks are broken into smaller pieces, with some
pieces turning into powder form

TYPES
1. Sand
o characterized by grains that are rougher and larger and have bigger gaps between
them than those of other soil types
o does not hold water well
o light gray to white in color
o dry and gritty to touch
o less fertile

2. Clay
o soil that is very sticky because it is made of very fine grains and small amount of sand
and humus
o smallest particles
o allows storing water
o brown to red

3. Loam
o ideal soil for planting because of its high content of humus
o soft, dry, and crumbly
o holds water and nutrients very well
o allow air to pass through down to the roots of the plants