Soil Vocabulary

Soil! A natural resource found in our own backyard!!

Soil is the loose material in which plants can grow in the upper layer of Earth. It is made up

of rock, humus, air, and water.Soil is made up of 5 important components and

has 3 layers!

The 5 Components of Soil

• Humus• Sand• Silt• Clay• Rock

Humus This is decayed (rotten,

rotting) plant and animal matter in the soil. It provides nutrients to the soil.

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Sand

Sand is made up of small grains of weathered rock.

DOES NOT hold water well! Few nutrients

SiltMade up of very small pieces of broken

rock.Sand > Silt > Clay

Clay• Can be red or yellow!• Holds water well!• Contains nutrients!

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3 Layers of Soil!

• Topsoil• Subsoil• Bedrock

Topsoil• This is the top layer.• It is where animals live and plants

grow.• It is a mixture of humus and rock

fragments.• It is the best layer for growing plants!

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Subsoil• Made up mostly of clay

• Under the topsoil• Not as good for growing plants

BedrockThis is the third and bottom layer of soil. It is

under the subsoil. It is made up of weathered rock and solid rock.

The worst part of soil for plant growth.

NutrientsThese are the materials that plants and

animals need to grow. Do you remember where they can be found in soil?

What layer? Which components?

Weathering(breaks down)

When rocks and other materials on the Earth’s surface are broken down into smaller pieces by weather, water, and living things.

Beach in Corolla, N.C

Weathering of the rocks and stumps in Corolla, N.C.

Erosion(moves it)

This is a force that gradually wears away soil and its nutrients. Can be caused by natural elements such as

wind, water, and ice. This is because of the flow due to gravity.

*Check out this experiment on erosion.

Beach in Corolla, N.C

Some more pictures of Erosion!Beach in Corolla, N.C.

Beach in Corolla, N.C.