Download Types of Soil

Types of Soil
By: Danielle Ruff
Cartersville Elementary School
3rd Grade
Layers of Soil

Soil is a very important resource.
◦ Soil is what plants grow in.
◦ Some animals live in soil.

Soil is a mixture of many different things.
◦ Soil is made up of:




water
Air
Humus
tiny pieces of rock.
Humus

Humus is the part of soil that is made up
of parts of dead plants and animals.
◦ Example: When a tree loses a leaf, the leaf falls
to the ground. As the leaf breaks down into
smaller parts, it becomes humus.
◦ The soil close to the surface has a lot of
humus.
Soil Layers
Top Soil
The top layer is called topsoil.
 Topsoil has a lot of humus.
 Many small animals, such as ants and
earthworms, live in topsoil.

Subsoil
The layer underneath topsoil is called
subsoil.
 Subsoil does not have a lot of humus, but
it does have small rocks in it.

Bedrock
If you dig deep enough into soil, you will
reach solid rock.
 This solid rock is called bedrock.
 Most small rocks in soil come from the
bedrock underneath it.

Different Types of Soil

In the United States alone there are more
than 70,000 types of soil.
◦
◦
◦
◦
Different colors
Hold more or less water
Size of rocks found in them
Different minerals make different soils
Sand

Soil with grains of
rock that you can see
with your eyes alone
Silt

Soil with grains of
rock that are too
small to be seen with
your eyes alone.
Clay

Soil with very very
tiny grains of rock
Loam
Soil that is a mixture
of humus, sand, silt,
and clay
 Best type of soil for
growing fruits and
vegetables in.

Importance of Soil
Bricks, pottery, and other items are made
from clay soil.
 Many animals would have no where to
live without soil.
 Plants would not be able to grow without
soil.
