Soil imputs

• What are the 5 main soil imputs?

  • relief
  • climate
  • organisms
  • time
  • parent material
• Relief

  • Height of the land
  • Areas on slopes will have different water tables which will affect drainage
• Climate

  • Temperature and precipitation
  • affects distribution of vegetation, organisms and the rate of decomposition
• Organisms

  • large and small things making the soil develop
  • could be in the influence of bacteria and microorgfanisms or vegetation living in the soil
• time

  • soils take time to develop
  • rocks are brocken downby weathering processes
  • plants grow, die and ecompose to provide organic material
  • nutrients is released into the soil
• Parent material

  • Underlying rock or sediments that get broken down
  • could be solid bedrock, weathered rock or surface deposits
• What is humus?


  The rich, organic layer made up of decaying matter