Factors Affecting Soil
Formation
Ag I
Northshore High
Soil Formation Terms
• Topography – the slope of the ground
surface as determined by features such as
mountains, hills, plains, etc.
• Weathering – the process by which rocks
and minerals are changed to soils.
• Soil formation – process by which rocks
and minerals are changed to soil over a
period of time.
• Rock – solid & massive materials
composed of one or more minerals.
Soil Formation Terms
• Mineral – chemical compound neither
animal nor vegetable; results from
inorganic processes of nature.
• Loess – silty, floury material laid down by
wind (fine soil particles)
• Alluvium – soil material laid down by
running water in the flood plains or
bottomlands of rivers and streams.
What affects soil formation?
• Soil characteristics develop as a result of
their origin and environment. Soil begins
as a particular rock material and develops
slowly over many years. Each soil is a
product of a combination of the following
factors.
– Parent material
– Climate
– Living organisms (biota)
– Topography
– Time
Parent Material
• Alluvium – finely pulverized rock laid down
by running water. Mostly silt and clay
particles with some sand.
• Marine Deposits – finely pulverized rock
laid down under sea. This material has
been thrust up by shifts in the earth’s
crust.
• Loess – silty, floury material laid down by
winds. Mostly silt and clay with little or no
sand.
Climate
• Physical weathering – results from
mechanical agents, such as heating &
cooling, freezing & thawing, &/or abrasion.
– Materials are still the same at the molecular
level.
– Materials are classified by the way they have
been moved or scattered
Climate
• Chemical weathering – Results from the
action of water, oxygen, & carbon dioxide
on the rocks.
– Carbon dioxide mixed with rain water forms a
weak acid, speeding up the weathering of
parent material.
– Materials that have been chemically
weathered are no longer the same at the
molecular level.
• Example – Clay has been synthesized into
something physically and chemically different from
the parent rock.
Climate
•Climate is the single
most important
factor affecting soil
formation.
Biota
• Biota is made up of living organisms such
as plants, animals, insects, bacteria, &
fungi.
– Plants have the most important affect
because they determine the type & amount of
organic matter.
– Animals & insects mix and aerate the soil as
well as add organic matter.
– In the US, organic matter in the soils
increases as you move north &/or east. Why?
Topography
• Topography refers to the “lay of the land”
or the angle & length of the slope.
• It affects soil formation because it
influences runoff, drainage, & erosion.
• It also may affect the type & amount of
plant growth (biggest factor in determining
type & amount of organic matter)
Topography
• Steep slopes
– High runoff rates
– Less water infiltration
– Fewer plant forms
– Less organic matter
– Increased erosion
– Thinner surface soil
– Slower formation/development
Topography
• Level to Gentle slope
– Little runoff
– Increased water infiltration
– Faster plant growth leading to more organic
matter
– Less erosion
– Deeper surface soil
– Faster formation/development
• Excessive water can slow development
Time
• As soon as material has become loose
enough to hold enough water, air, and
nutrients for plant growth, it is considered
a soil.
– Soil formation/development may take place
over several centuries or just a few days.
Time
• Young soils
– Volcanic or alluvial in origin
– Have greater fertility
– Have poorly developed profiles
– Usually they are highly productive.
– Where are the youngest soils in Louisiana
located?
Time
• Old soils
– Have well developed soil profiles
– Have an increased clay content
– More acid pH
– Nutrients are leached
– Lower fertility & productivity than younger
soils.
Student Activity
• For next class period, bring in a soil
sample in a ziplock bag.
– On the bag mark your name, where you
collected the sample, and what horizon it
came from
– I will keep the samples for other activities in
this unit.
– 10 BONUS POINTS to all who participate!
