EARTH SECTION

Picture Credits: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/lithosphere/

 LIFE ON EARTH

Source: https://thecarboncycleandclimatechange-bb.weebly.com/the-
biosphere-lithosphere-hydrosphere--atmosphere.html
SOIL
 SOIL

24.07.2019 BY SHWETA AGARWAL

FUNCTIONS OF SOIL
What is SOIL?

 Soil is the edge between lithosphere and atmospheric

interaction.
 It consists of rock, minerals, living organisms, humus,
water and air.
 Soil consists of rock or sediment that has been modified
by physical and chemical interaction with organic
material, rainwater, and organisms over time.
 Is Soil a living thing or non – living??
Soil and Us
Even the cultural and religious words say we came from
earth - in all religions
We are made of the same FIVE elements that the earth is
made of.
5 INCHES layer of the earth is what we eat from. So the
amount of land available to grow food is very small
Apple cut into quarters, further cut into 3 and then the
top skin is equal to the 5 inches
Earth as an apple
1/32nd of earth - 5” of that is topsoil
How are soils formed?
How does soil form?
 Weathering
● Gelisols: Frozen
● Histosols: Organic, wet
● Spodosols: Sandy, acidic
● Andisols: Volcanic ash
● Oxisols: Very weathered
● Vertisols: Shrink and swell
● Aridisols: Very dry
● Ultisols: Weathered
● Mollisols: Deep, fertile
● Alfisols: Moderately
weathered
● Inceptisols: Slightly
developed (young)
● Entisols: Newly formed
How Does Soil Form?

http://geologylearn.blogspot.com/2015/11/soil.html
Soil-forming factors
Soil Classification
Glass Jar Testing for Soil Type
What is Ph?

pH is a measure of how acidic/basic

water is. The range goes from 0 - 14, with 7
being neutral. pHs of less than 7 indicate
acidity, whereas a pH of greater than 7
indicates a base. pH is really a measure of
the relative amount of free hydrogen (H)
and hydroxyl ions (OH) in the water
Chemical Properties Of Soil
Why the spotlight on soils?

● Floods, windstorms, deserts - all created by soil

erosion. Nitrogen and oxygen forms nitrous oxide
and accelerates creates climate change
(nitrogen not absorbed). Bacteria absorb
nitrogen to make it plant available.
● Civilizations lost because of overuse of soil.
● Non renewable. Cannot create soil. 1/3rd already
lost to erosion
● Trees protect topsoil, release O2, sequester
carbon
 How is soil damaged

● Industrial excess nitrogen in soil flows into river life -

giant algae suffocating fish
○ Only 25% of nitrogen in synthetic form is
absorbed
● Floods, windstorms, sand dunes-
○ soil erosion caused by lack of tree plantation
● Lack of organic matter back to the soil - water
retention capacity is reduced
● Over watering - causing salinity
● Heavy tilling - reduces water retention
NO SOIL >>> NO PLANTS >>> NO LIFE