SOIL FORMATION

ORIGIN OF SOIL
▪The mineral grains that form the solid phase of a soil aggregate are the product of rock
weathering.
▪The size of the individual grains varies over a wide range.
▪Many of the physical properties of soil are dictated by the size, shape, and chemical
composition of the grains.
▪On the basis of their mode of origin, rocks can be divided into three basic types: igneous,
sedimentary, and metamorphic.

TYPES OF ROCKS
IGNEOUS ROCK
Igneous rocks are formed by the solidification of molten magma ejected from deep within the
earth’s mantle. After ejection by either fissure eruption or volcanic eruption, some of the molten
magma cools on the surface of the earth.
▪The deposits of gravel, sand, silt, and clay formed by weathering may become compacted by
overburden pressure and cemented by agents like iron oxide, calcite, dolomite, and
quartz. Cementing agents are generally carried in solution by groundwater. They fill the spaces
between particles and form sedimentary rock.
▪Metamorphic rock form by metamorphism, this is the process of
changing the composition and texture of rocks (without melting)
by heat and pressure.

WEATHERING
▪Weathering is the process of breaking down rocks by mechanical and chemical processes into
smaller pieces.
▪Mechanical weathering (also called physical weathering) may be caused by the expansion and
contraction of rocks from the continuous gain and loss of heat, which results in ultimate
disintegration.
▪In mechanical weathering, large rocks are broken down into smaller pieces without any change
in the chemical composition. the original rock minerals are transformed into new minerals by
chemical reaction.
TYPES OF SOIL
▪ Soil is a very broad term and refers to the loose layer of earth that covers the surface of the
planet. The soil is the part of the earth’s surface, which includes disintegrated rock, humus,
inorganic and organic materials.
▪ For soil to form from rocks, it takes an average of 500 years or more. The soil is usually formed
when rocks break up into their constituent parts. When a range of different forces act on the
rocks, they break into smaller parts to form the soil. These forces also include the impact of
wind, water and the reaction from salts.
▪ Soil is classified into four types, namely, sandy soil, silt soil, clay soil, and loamy soil.

SANDY SOIL
▪It consists of small particles of weathered rock.
▪Sandy soils are one of the poorest types of soil for growing plants because it has very low
nutrients and poor water holding capacity, which makes it hard for the plant’s roots to absorb
water.
▪This type of soil is very good for the drainage system.

SILT SOIL
▪Silt, which is known to have much smaller particles compared to sandy soil and is
made up of rock and other mineral particles, which are smaller than sand and larger than clay.
▪It is the smooth and fine quality of the soil that holds water better than sand.
▪Silt is easily transported by moving currents and it is mainly found near the river, lake and other
water bodies.

CLAY SOIL
▪Clay is the smallest particle amongst the other two types of soil. The particles in this soil are
tightly packed together with each other with very little or no airspace.
▪This soil has very good water storage qualities and makes it hard for moisture and air to
penetrate into it.
▪It is very sticky to the touch when wet, but smooth when dried.

LOAMY SOIL
▪ Loam is the fourth type of soil. It is a combination of sand, silt and clay such that the beneficial
properties from each are included.
▪ For instance, it has the ability to retain moisture and nutrients; hence, it is more suitable for
farming. This soil is also referred to as agricultural as it includes an equilibrium of all three types
of soil materials being sandy, clay, and silt and it also happens to have humus.
▪ Apart from these, it also has higher calcium and pH levels because of its inorganic origins.

SPECIFIC GRAVITY, GS
▪Specific gravity is defined as the ratio of the unit weight of a given material to the unit weight of
water.
▪The specific gravity of soil solids is often needed for various calculations in soil mechanics.
▪Specific gravity of common soils usually falls within the range of 2.6 to 2.9.

SOIL-PARTICLE SIZE
▪The sizes of particles that make up soil vary over a wide range.
▪Soils generally are called gravel, sand, silt, or clay, depending on the predominant size of
particles within the soil.
▪To describe soils by their particle size, several organizations have developed particle-size
classifications.

MECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF SOIL

▪Mechanical analysis is the determination of the size range of particles present in a soil,
expressed as a percentage of the total dry weight.
▪Two methods generally are used to find the particle-size distribution of soil:
➢(1) sieve analysis - for particle sizes larger than 0.075 mm in diameter, and
➢(2) hydrometer analysis - for particle sizes smaller than 0.075 mm in diameter.
SIEVE ANALYSIS
▪Sieve analysis (grain size analysis) consists of shaking the soil sample through a set of sieves
that have progressively smaller openings.
▪ The current size designation for U.S. sieves uses 100 mm to 6.3 mm, and they are listed in
Table 1-5.
▪After the 6.3-mm size designation, a number designation is used i.e., No. 4 to No. 400. These
are shown in Table 1-6.
▪Several other countries have their own sieve sizes that are commonly referred to by their
aperture sizes. Here in the Philippines, Table 1-5 and 1-6 are used.

HYDROMETER ANALYSIS
▪Hydrometer analysis is based on the principle of sedimentation of soil grains in water.
▪When a soil specimen is dispersed in water, the particles settle at different velocities, depending
on their shape, size, weight, and the viscosity of the water.
▪For simplicity, it is assumed that all the soil particles are spheres and that the velocity of soil
particles can be expressed by Stokes’ law.

PARTICLE SHAPE
▪The shape of particles present in a soil mass is equally as important as the particle size
distribution because it has significant influence on the physical properties of a given soil.
▪The particle shape generally can be divided into three major categories, namely, bulky, flaky,
and needle shaped.

PARTICLE SHAPE
▪Bulky particles are formed mostly by mechanical weathering of rock and minerals. Geologists
use such terms as angular, subangular, subrounded, and rounded to describe the shapes of bulky
particles.
▪ The shape of granular particles in a soil mass has a great influence on the physical properties of
the soil, such as maximum and minimum void ratios, shear strength parameters, compressibility,
etc.
▪ Flaky particles have very low sphericity - usually 0.01 or less. These particles are
predominantly clay minerals.
▪Needle-shaped particles are much less common than the other two particle types. Examples of
soils containing needle-shaped particles are some coral deposits and attapulgite clays.