Department of Environmental & Conservation Sciences University of Swat

Presented by:
Saad Farooqi, C#01

Abdur Rahman, C#02
Junaid Ghani, C#03
BS, 7th Semester
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL &

CONSERVATION SCIENCES
10/20/2015 UNIVERSITY OF SWAT 1
Soil
 Major part of the natural environment,
 Vital to the existence of life on the

planet.
 Soil is the result of the process of the

gradual breakdown of rock, such as
weathering and erosion
 Soil is made up from four constituents:
 mineral material,
 organic material,
 air and
2
 water.
Soil Profile
 The soil profile is one of the most important concepts in

soil science.
 The soil profile is defined as a vertical section of the

soil that is exposed when a soil pit, or hole, is dug from
the surface of the soil to the underlying bedrock.
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4
Soil Structure
 Combination or arrangement of primary soil particles.
 Soil particles are:
 Sand
 Silt
 Clay
5
Cont,,
 Sand: Natural occurring rough material,
 The size of sand particles range between 2.0 mm and 0.05 mm.
 Silt: Small particles, and size is between sand and clay.

 Silt size as 0.05 mm and 0.002 mm.
 Clay: very fine particles

 And clay, less than 0.002 mm.
 Notice that clay particles may be over one thousand times smaller than
sand particles.
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Soil Composition
 Soil composition is an important
aspect of nutrient management.
 The basic components of soil are:
 Minerals/Nutrients 45%,
 Organic matter 5%,
 Water 25% and
 Air 25%.
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Factors of Formation
Soil is formed by…
 Parent Material: the original soil transported from

elsewhere, usually by wind or water, at different speeds
 Climate: the amount, intensity, timing, and kind of

precipitation that breaks down parts of ecosystem (i.e.
rocks, trees) into soil
 Topography: Slope and Aspect affect the angle of the

land.
8
Cont,,
 Biological: Plants, animals,
microscopic organisms,
and humans interact with
soil in different ways.
 Time: the amount of time

it takes for the four
factors (above) to interact
with each other.
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Soil Colour
 Two types of soil on the basis of colour
1) Dark Colour Soil
2) Light Colour Soil
1.Dark Colour Soil:

 Rich with a lot of organic matters.
2. Light Colour Soil:

 Not so rich with organic matters
10
Components of the Soil Profile
 A soil horizon makes up a distinct layer of soil.
 The soil profile extends from the soil surface to the

parent rock material.
 The regolith includes all of the weathered material

within the profile. The regolith has two components:
 Solum
 Saprolite.
11
Cont,,
 Solum  Saprolite
 The solum includes the  The saprolite is the least
upper horizons with the weathered portion that lies
most weathered portion of directly above the solid,

parental bedrock
the profile.
 C Horizon
 Surface and subsoil layers.
 O, A and B Horizons.
12
13
Master Horizons
 Horizons based on color, roots, structure, rock
fragments.
 Master Soil Horizons are depicted by a capital letter in

the order (from top to down):
 The master horizons are represented by the letters:
 O Horizon  B Horizon
 A Horizon  C Horizon
 E Horizon  R Horizon
14
O Horizon
 Surface horizon that is comprised of organic material at
various stages of decomposition.
 Surface-layer, at depths of 0-2 feet.
 Dark in color, soft in texture.
 Leaf litter – leaves, needles, twigs, moss, lichens that

are not decomposing.
 Humus - rich organic material of plant and animal origin

in a stage of decomposition
15
A Horizon
 “Topsoil” or “Biomantle” Horizon.
 largely consists of minerals (sand, silt, and clay)
 Topmost layer of mineral soil, at depths of 2-10 feet.
 Some humus present, darker in color than layers below.
 Biomantle - most biological productive layer;

earthworms, fungi, and bacteria live this layer.
 Smallest and finest soil particles.
16
E Horizon
 The “Leaching Layer” Horizon
 Small layer between A & B horizons
 At depths of 10-15 feet
 Light in color, mainly sand & silt
 Poor mineral and clay content due to leaching – the loss

of water-retaining plant nutrients to the water table
 Soil particles larger than in A horizon but smaller than in

B horizon.
17
B Horizon
 The “Subsoil” Horizon.
 At depths of 10-30 feet.
 Rich in clay and minerals like Fe & Al.
 Some organic material may reach here through

leaching.
 Plant roots can extend into this layer
 Red/brown in color due to oxides of Fe & clay.
18
C Horizon
 The “Saprolite” Horizon.
 At depths of 30-48 feet.
 Made up of large rocks or lumps of partially broken

bedrock.
 Least affected by weathering and have changed the

least since their origin.
 Devoid of organic matter due to it being so far down in

the soil profile.
19
R Horizon
 The “Bedrock” Horizon.
 At depths of 48+ feet.
 Deepest soil horizon in the soil profile.
 Continuous mass of bedrock.
 Colors are those of the original rock of the area.
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Cont,,
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Presented by:

Saad Farooqi, C#01

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL &

 Vital to the existence of life on the

 Soil is the result of the process of the

 Soil is made up from four constituents:

 The soil profile is one of the most important concepts in

 The soil profile is defined as a vertical section of the

 Combination or arrangement of primary soil particles.

 Soil particles are:

 Silt: Small particles, and size is between sand and clay.

 Clay: very fine particles

 The basic components of soil are:

 Organic matter 5%,

 Water 25% and

 Parent Material: the original soil transported from

 Climate: the amount, intensity, timing, and kind of

 Topography: Slope and Aspect affect the angle of the

 Time: the amount of time

1.Dark Colour Soil:

2. Light Colour Soil:

 A soil horizon makes up a distinct layer of soil.

 The soil profile extends from the soil surface to the

 The regolith includes all of the weathered material

 The solum includes the  The saprolite is the least

upper horizons with the weathered portion that lies

most weathered portion of directly above the solid,

 Master Soil Horizons are depicted by a capital letter in

 The master horizons are represented by the letters:

 Surface-layer, at depths of 0-2 feet.

 Dark in color, soft in texture.

 Leaf litter – leaves, needles, twigs, moss, lichens that

 Humus - rich organic material of plant and animal origin

 largely consists of minerals (sand, silt, and clay)

 Topmost layer of mineral soil, at depths of 2-10 feet.

 Some humus present, darker in color than layers below.

 Biomantle - most biological productive layer;

 Smallest and finest soil particles.

 Small layer between A & B horizons

 At depths of 10-15 feet

 Light in color, mainly sand & silt

 Poor mineral and clay content due to leaching – the loss

 Soil particles larger than in A horizon but smaller than in

 At depths of 10-30 feet.

 Rich in clay and minerals like Fe & Al.

 Some organic material may reach here through

 Plant roots can extend into this layer

 Red/brown in color due to oxides of Fe & clay.

 At depths of 30-48 feet.

 Made up of large rocks or lumps of partially broken

 Least affected by weathering and have changed the

 Devoid of organic matter due to it being so far down in

 The “Bedrock” Horizon.

 At depths of 48+ feet.

 Deepest soil horizon in the soil profile.

 Continuous mass of bedrock.

 Colors are those of the original rock of the area.

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