Soil

1. Layers

1.1. Top soil- combination of rock, sand, silt, clay, organic matter, air, and water

1.2. Subsoil- contains some chemicals found in the topsoil as water drips down from the soil above.

1.3. Parent Material- Made of slightly broken-up bedrock. Plant roots usually do not penetrate into this layer. Very little organic matter is found here.

1.4. Bedrock- Hard rock that lies beneath all the soil layers.

2. Different types of Soil

2.1. Grassland- Temperate grasslands have soils that are nutrient-rich from the growth and decay of deep, many-branched grass roots. The rotted roots hold the soil together and provide a food source for living plants.

2.2. Forest- soil forms in areas with hot and cold seasons. a lot of tree growth. reddish brown- grey. loose.

2.3. tropical grassland- very warm all year long. wet and dry seasons. greyish brown. sticky.

2.4. desert- not a lot of rain. high temperatures. dry, sandy limited # of plants. light color. gritty.

3. organic matter