EESA01H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Soil, Fuel Oil, Humus
11 Dec 2017
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Document Summary
Soil isn"t only dirt, includes weathered rock, organic matter, water, gases, nutrients, and microorganisms. The mineral particles in soil are inherited from the base material from its formation, thus determines the starting composition of the soil. Soil moisture: key for plant growth/support because they dissolve and mobilize soil constituents vital as nutrients. Soils also has gases released from underlying rock (radon) and above (spilled gas/oil). Soil influence on ecosystems comparable to climate, latitude & elevation"s. Together mineral, organic, aqueous, and gas components of soil form a system linking the geosphere to atmo/hydro/biosphere. Formation: parent material (bedrock, lava, ash, glacier rock, dunes) exposed to effects of atm/hydro/bio, weathering, erosion, deposition and decomposition of organic matter, partial decomposition of organic matter creates humus dark, spongy, crumbly & made of complex organic compounds. Weathering: processes that break down rocks and minerals, into small particles, altering the composition. These small, loose particles of mineral matter called regolith foundation of soil.
