HOW SOILS WERE FORMED FROM ROCKS

By Austin Ritchie02/12/2015

STEP 1

First a rock forms. It is either sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic. Sedimentary rock forms when sand, mud or silt is washed from rivers. It gets compressed and forms rock. Metamorphic changes over time and igneous is formed from cooling lava.

STEP 2

Plants start to grow on the rock, its roots dig in and form a cut which eventually over time will split the rock. This may take millions of years.

STEP 3

Plants such as moss start to grow on the rock, if water washes over this rock it will make it will easier for the rock to turn into soil. This is because it will make the rock softer.

STEP 4

The plants start to break down the rock just like step 2. Slowly this rock will finally transform into soil.

LOOK AT THOSE SOILS

There are different types of soils that all came from different rocks. You could find out what rocks the soils came from. Looking at what is inside the soil can give you clues as to what rock the soil came from.