Soil Is A Vital Part Of The Natural Environment - 1352 Words

Soil is a vital part of the natural environment. Without soil the land on Earth would be wastelands of barren rock. Soil is the thin skin of our earth where we plant and grow vital grain crops such as wheat, corn and rice that feed more than seven billion of us. The future rests on the soil beneath our feet. History is littered with the remains of civilizations that ignored, exploited and degraded the soil beneath their feet. One-third of the world’s soil has already been damaged by wind and water erosion, deforestation, compaction, nutrient depletion and pollution. By our own actions we are losing soil faster than nature can create it. Unless we protect the remaining soil and improve land use and conservation practices, the global amount†¦show more content†¦Soils that have a higher percentage of clay will have a higher water holding capacity and a lower hydraulic conductivity. Sometimes when there is a compacted layer of clay underground it can lead to flooding aft er heavy storms. There are 12 different soil types known as orders. Each order is based on one or two dominant physical, chemical, or biological properties that differentiate it clearly from the other orders (Importance of soil to agriculture. (2013). The 12 soil orders all end in â€Å"sol† which is derived form the Latin word â€Å"solum† meaning soil or ground. Most of the orders also have roots that tell you something about that particular soil. For example, â€Å"molisol† is from the Latin â€Å"mollis† meaning soft. The 12 soil orders are presented in the sequence in which they â€Å"key out† in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s dichotomous Soil Taxonomy system. Gelisols are soils that are permanently frozen or contain evidence of permafrost near the soil surface. Histosols are dominantly composed of organic material in their upper portion. These soils most often occur in extremely wet areas. Spodosols are among the most attractive soils. These soils form as rainfall interacts with acidic vegetative litter such as needles of conifers to form organic acids. Andisols typically form from the weathering of volcanic material such as ash, resulting in mineral in the soil with poor crystal structure. These