The Earth Contents

5. Soils

There are many different types of soils; distribution reflects the wider environmental conditions in which they are found

A soil cross-section
<Click above to view soil cross-sections>

Soils can vary greatly in depth, from a few centimetres to tens of metres. They also vary in fertility, in colour, which ranges from very pale yellows and reds to black, and in texture, which can be described as varying from very fine, sticky coagulates to coarse grained soils in which sands predominate. Although very different in both appearance and capacity to support life, all soils have the same basic structure.

Soil has a structure that is brought about by the arrangement of soil particles into groups (aggregates). The capability of a soil to form aggregates is related to the colloidal nature of soils.

Other than in colour, give some other examples of the way in which different soils might vary?