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What is soil ? What are the different layers of soil ? |
| Answer» Soil is the upper layer of earth in which plants grow and is usually composed of a mixture of organic remains, clay, and rock particles.Soil is the upper layer of earth in which plants grow and is usually composed of a mixture of organic remains, clay, and rock particles.Horizon-A:\xa0The topmost layer is dark in color, and contains the remains of dead plants and animals. This rotting matter is called\xa0humus.\tThis layer of soil is called\xa0topsoil\xa0or A-horizon.\tIt is made up of humus and minerals, and makes the soil fertile.\tIt is\xa0soft and porous, and can retain more water than the other layers.\tMany tiny organisms, such as beetles, worms and rodents, live in the topsoil.\xa0The roots of small plants do not go down very deep and can be found in the topsoil.\xa0Horizon-B:\xa0\tThe layer below the topsoil is called B-horizon or the\xa0middle layer.\tThe middle layer is\xa0less porous\xa0than the topsoil, and is, therefore,\xa0harder.\tIt contains more\xa0minerals\xa0as compared to the topsoil, but less quantity of humus.\xa0Horizon-C:It is not as compact as the two layers above it. This layer is called C-horizon.It has cracks running through it.It is mostly made up of\xa0rocks.\xa0Bedrock:\xa0The\xa0bottom-most layer\xa0in the soil profile is called bedrock.This is far\xa0more solid\xa0in composition than the other layers and is\xa0very hard. This layer consists of the parent rock. | |