4 NPS|NAFL NORTH

Rocks and Soil

NPSNAFLNORTH|
KOCL|May2021
Content
Types of Rocks Page 3
The Rock Cycle Page 8
Formation of Soil Page 10
Importance of Soil Page 14
Did you know? Page 18
Soil Erosion Page 19
Soil Conservation Page 21
Vocabulary Page 24
NPSNAFLNORTH|
KOCL|May2021
 Types of Rocks

We live on planet earth. The earth is formed of many layers

consisting of the core and the mantle.

The ground that we see of rocks and soil forms the outermost
layer of the earth. This ground varies from place to place.

WHAT ARE ROCKS?

Rocks and stones are naturally occurring solids made up of

minerals. They are hard substances formed when one or more
inorganic minerals gather together. Rocks are formed by the
breaking of big rocks or mountains by the action of natural
forces like heat, cold, water and wind.

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 What are the different types of rocks?
Rocks can be categorised into three types:

Igneous

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1. Igneous Rocks –Igneous rocks are formed when the molten lava comes out of a
volcano and cools down.
Granite, Pumice, Obsedian and Basalt are some examples of igneous rocks.

Granite

Basalt

Pumice

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 Sedimentary Rocks - Sedimentary rocks are those which are formed from
materials (sediments) that have piled up on land or in water.

Due to the pressure exerted by the land, natural cements glue the sediments
together to form the solid rocks. Limestone and sandstone are sedimentary rocks.

Sandstone

Limestone
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 Metamorphic Rocks - Metamorphic rocks are those rocks that were initially
igneous and sedimentary rocks. When they were subjected to enormous pressure
or heat, they were converted into metamorphic rocks.

Marble and Slate are metamorphic rocks.

Marble

Slate

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 The Rock Cycle

Rocks are constantly changing in what is called the rock cycle. It takes millions of
years for rocks to change. Here is an example of the rock cycle, describing how a
rock can change from igneous to sedimentary to metamorphic over time.

1. The weather, or a river, and other events like flood and storm will slowly
break up a rock into small pieces of sediment.

2. As the sediment builds up and hardens over the years, a sedimentary rock
is formed.

3. Slowly, this sedimentary rock gets covered and buried by other rock and
goes deep into the earth's crust.

4. Slowly this sedimentary rock will get covered with other rocks and end up
deep in the Earth's crust.

5. When the pressure and heat get high enough, the sedimentary rock will
metamorphose into a metamorphic rock and the cycle will start over again.
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 Volcanic
eruption

Magma
Igneous rock

Metamorphic
rock

Sediment

Sedimentary rock

Note: Although rocks follow a typical cycle, they may change from one type to
another and back again in practically any order.
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 Formation of Soil

Soil is one of the most important

natural resources on earth. It is defined
as the topmost layer of the earth’s Types of Soil
crust on which plants grow. It is a
mixture of rocks, minerals and matter According to the size,
formed by dead and decaying plants colour and texture of
and animals. the soil particles, soil
can be divided into
The formation of soil is a very slow and three major types:
gradual process. When several rocks
▪ Sand
are broken down into smaller pieces by
various weathering agents like wind, ▪ Clay
water etc., by the process of ▪ Loam
weathering, they mix with organic
matter to make soil. It takes thousands
of years of continuous weathering to
form a layer of soil.

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 Sand and Gravel

Sand and gravel deposits come from

river channels, river flood plains, and
glacial deposits.

Gravel is made of tiny stones and does

not hold water well. Do you think plants
can grow well in this type of soil?

Sandy soil is mostly found in deserts and

on the sea-shore. Sand particles are big
in size and have a lot of space between
them. Water just runs through it. That is
why not many plants can grow in it.

Sandy soil does not hold moisture. Thus,

all the essential nutrients run away
along with the water. Hence, we need to
add fertilizers at regular intervals.
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 Clay

Pick up this soil and it will feel as

smooth as chocolate powder! Add
water and it lumps together. Roll
it into ball and it sticks. This is
clayey soil.

It is yellowish, red, black or white

in colour with small and tightly
packed particles. This type of soil
can hold a lot of water. It is found
in ponds and river-beds.
It is used for making pots, toys,
tiles and bricks. It is usually rich in
nutrients because it can hold
moisture. However, it forms hard
lumps when wet and develops
cracks in hot weather, causing
harm to the roots of the plants.
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 Loam

The mixture of clay,

silt and sand with a lot
of humus(the organic
component of soil)
forms loam or garden
soil that is very fertile.
This is the best soil for
growing plants. It can
hold enough water
and air.

Note: Silt is fine sand,

clay, or other material
carried by running
water and deposited
as a sediment.

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 Importance of Soil

Put on Your Thinking Cap!

If you were one of these people

listed below, how would soil be
helpful to you?
A farmer to plant
An engineer to build
An archaeologist
An ecologist
A potter
A soil This
scientist
Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC
BY-NC.

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 Why is soil important to plants?

Plants grow in soil. Soil holds the

roots of plants firmly and gives
them water, air and minerals for
growth. Most plants grow well in
loamy soil. There are, however, a
few plants which grow well in
clayey and sandy soils.

For example,
rice grows well Manure and fertilisers
in clayey soil are added to soil as
whereas root they provide additional
vegetables like minerals to plants and
carrots grow well make the soil fertile.
in sandy soils.

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 Why is soil important to animals?

Earthworms and other insects live in

the soil. Burrowing animals like
rabbits and moles make holes or
tunnels called burrows in the soil and
live in them.

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 Why is soil important to human beings?

Soil helps human beings in many ways. It supports plant life which provides
food for human beings and animals. Plants also provide clothing for human
beings and shelter to animals.

Many minerals like iron, copper, silver and

gold are obtained by digging deep into the
soil. Coal and petrol are also obtained
from the soil

Building materials like bricks, cement and

stones are obtained from the soil. Clay
utensils and pots are made from soil.

Soil absorbs rainwater and reduces the

damage caused by floods.

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 Did You Know?

Soil scientists are

people who gather
information about
soil, interpret and
evaluate it to help
with agriculture,
climate change,
human health and
bio-diversity.

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 Soil Erosion

Soil Erosion

Topsoil is the topmost layer of soil.

It is the most fertile and full of
nutrient rich materials. Farmers
protect topsoil to grow crops for
food and grass for cattle.

However, strong winds, water or

heavy rain can wear away the
topsoil. This wearing away of
topsoil is known as soil erosion.

Some other reasons why the wind

and water cause soil erosion are
deforestation, overgrazing by
cattle, forest fires, etc.

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 Soil Erosion

a. Removal or cutting of trees (deforestation), allows water to

run off the soil.

b. Overgrazing by large herds of animals destroys vegetation and

results in bare land. The topsoil of the bare land is then easily
blown away by strong winds.

c. Poor farming methods can cause soil erosion. Ploughing

loosens the topsoil. Nutrients must be added regularly to the
soil to bind it together. Otherwise, it cannot hold water in it
and gets washed away.

d. After a fire, the topsoil is left bare, thus letting the wind and
water wear it away.

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 Soil Conservation

To check topsoil erosion, we must practise Soil

conservation. It means we must protect the topsoil
and make it stronger. How do we do that? Crop rotation

Some methods of soil conservation are as follows:

1. Plant more trees or grasses and practise
afforestation. This will check the dangers of
deforestation. More trees and grass will hold more
soil in place and stop soil erosion.
2. Grow different crops in different seasons or
practise crop rotation. This will maintain the fertility
of the soil and prevent soil erosion by wind or water.
3. Plant cover crops. These are special plants that
are grown not for food, but for the soil to remain
healthy. Cover crops improve soil fertility, control
pests and diseases and improve the water content in
the soil. They prevent soil erosion of any kind.

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 4. On the slope of the hills, terrace cropping
should be practised, to prevent soil erosion.
(Terrace cropping- means the planting of
crops in steps cut on the sides of the
mountain slopes.)
5. Practise Terrace cropping on the slopes of
hills, to prevent soil erosion.(Terrace
cropping-means the planting of crops in steps Terrace Cropping
cut on the sides of the mountain slopes.)

6. Provide proper drainage and irrigation in

fields, so the soil is safe and cannot get
washed away.

7. Plant shelter belts of trees in two or three

rows around the boundaries of fields like a
fence. These trees reduce the effect of strong Shelter belts
winds that can blow the soil away. They give
Shelter belts
shade to animals in hot weather. They also
protect crops from cold winds in winter.
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 8. Build Bunds, which is like a wall of stones around a field or farmland. This is a
common method used by farmers in India. It prevents water from washing the
topsoil away.

Bunds Shelter belts

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 Vocabulary

• Afforestation - planting more trees

• Coarse - rough or hard in texture
• Deforestation - cutting down trees in large numbers
• Magma - liquid rock below the earth’s surface
• Mineral - a naturally occurring chemical compound
• Molten - made liquid by heat
• Sediment - particles of eroded rock or plant and animal debris
• Soil erosion - removal of topsoil by wind, rain or flowing water
• Solidification - process by which magma or lava cools and
hardens

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