Name: Water is Precious
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 2 min 12 s
Description: Water is a basic requirement for all living beings. Water should be available to all castes and creeds of people and this video lays emphasis on this concept.

Question

What is soil? How does it form?

Accepted Answer

Soil is a part of the Earth's surface that contains disintegrated rocks and decaying organic matter. It provides support for the growth of many plants and animals.

Soil is formed by the disintegration and decomposition of rocks, vegetables and animal fossils embedded in them. The conversion of parent material into the soil is known as soil formation.

Stages of Soil Formation:

1. Physical or Mechanical Weathering: Mechanical weathering is the process of breaking big rocks into little ones. Temperature also affects the land. The cool nights and hot days always cause things to expand and contract. That movement can cause rocks to crack and break apart.

2. Chemical Weathering: Chemical weathering is caused by rainwater reacting with the mineral grains in rocks to form new minerals (clays) and soluble salts.

3. Biological Weathering: Animals and plants contribute to biological weathering. Animals like rabbits dig burrows in the soil, which helps break the hard rocks into uniform soil particles. Also, trees that have large roots penetrate into the cracks of the rocks and soil.

What is soil? How does it form?

Important Questions on Natural Resources

Learn and Prepare for any exam you want !