It’s NOT Dirt!

It’s…

SOIL
 What is Soil?
• Part of the regolith
that supports the
growth of plants
• Regolith
– Layer of rock and
mineral fragments that
cover most of Earth’s
land surface
Soil Formation
• Weathering of rocks
that is carried away
and deposited
• Factors
– Parent Material
– Time
– Climate
– Organisms
– Slope
 Soil Formation Factors
• Parent Material • Time
– Source of the mineral – Important in all
matter in the soil geologic processes
– The longer a soil has
been forming, the
thicker it becomes
 • Organisms
• Climate
– Furnish organic
– Greatest effect on
matter in soil
soil formation
– Influences of
temperature and
precipitation affect
rate, depth and type
of weathering
• Slope
– Steep slopes often
have poorly
developed soils
 Characteristic of Soil:
Soil Composition

• 45% mineral matter

• 25% air
• 25% water
• 5% humus
– Decayed remains of
organisms
Characteristic of Soil:
Soil Texture
• Refers to the
proportions of
different particle
sizes
– Sand (large size)
– Silt (feels like flour)
– Clay (small size)
– Loam (mix of all
three; best for plants)
 Soil Texture Triangle
Percent Percent Percent Texture
Clay Silt Sand Type

60 20 20

20 40 40

10 20 70
Characteristic of Soil:
Soil Structure
Soil Types
• Pedalfer
– Forest areas
• Pedocal
– Drier
grasslands
• Laterite
– Hot, wet,
tropical
climates
 What is Mass Movement?

• The transfer of
rock and soil
down-slope due
to gravity
 Triggers of Mass Movement
• Water
– Heavy rain and rapid
snow melting saturate
the surface
– Particles slid past one
another easier
• Over-steepened Slopes
– The steeper the slope,
the greater the chance
for movement
• Removal of
Vegetation
– Roots keep soil intact
– Removing plants
increase chances of
movement and
erosion
• Earthquakes
– Dislodge rocks and
minerals
How to Classify Mass Movement?

• Classified by
– Kind of material
the move
– How it Moves
– Speed of movement
 Types of Mass Movement
• Rock falls
• Slides
– Rockslides
– Landslides
• Slumps
• Flows
– Mudflow
– Earthflow
• Avalanches
• Creep
Rock falls

• When rock or
rock fragments
fall freely
through the air
 Slides
• A block of material
moves suddenly along a
flat, inclined surface
• Rockslides
– Include segments of
bedrock
• Landslides
– Movement of relatively
thin block of loose soil,
rock and debris
Slumps
• Downward
movement of
block of material
along a curve
surface
 Flows
• Containing a large amount
of water which move
downslope as a thick fluid
• Mudflow
– Swiftly moving mixture of
mud and water
• Earthflow
– Moves relatively slow
– Carry clay-rich sediment
Avalanches

• Extremely
rapid
movement of
Earth material
or snow
 Creep
• Slow, downhill
movement of soil
• Only noticeable
over long period
time
• Slowest type of
mass movement
 Preventive Actions
• Dig series of tranches to
divert running water
• Constructing protective
fences on highways
• Retaining walls for
weak slopes
• Don’t build on steep
slopes