soil horizon An individual layer of a complete soil profile; examples include A, B & C
horizons.
soil profile The entire set of soil layers or horizons for a particular soil.
subsoil The B horizon of a soil; the zone where iron oxides and clay minerals accumulate.
topsoil The A horizon of a soil; most fertile layer of soil where humus, plant roots & living
organisms are found.
transported soil A soil formed from weathered components transported by water, wind
or ice to a different area.
Points to Consider
- Why is soil such an important resource?
- Do you think a mature soil would form faster from unaltered bedrock or from trans-
ported materials? - Ifsoilerosionishappeningatagreaterratethannewsoilcanform, whatwilleventually
happen to the soil in that region? - Do you think there are pollutants that could not easily be removed from soil?
Image Sources
(1) Julie Sandeen.. CC-BY-SA.(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Stagnogley.jpg. CC-BY-SA.(3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Daintree_Rainforest.jpg. CC-BY-SA.(4) Julie Sandeen.. CC-BY-SA.(5) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Compost_Heap.jpg.
GNU-FDL.(6) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Konza1.jpg. CC-BY-SA.(7) Julie Sandeen.. CC-BY-SA.(8) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rust_and_dirt.jpg. CC-BY-SA.