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    Origion of Soil

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    Hemal Mistry
    Rocks at or near the earth's surface weather and break down over time through processes like chemical decomposition and temperature/pressure changes, forming various types of soils. The type of soil formed depends on factors like the rock's mineral composition and the climate. There are three main rock types - igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic - that weather differently. For example, granite breaks down into sandy soils while basalt forms finer, clay-rich soils. Transportation by wind and water can move weathered materials and deposit sedimentary rocks. Metamorphism alters existing rocks through heat, pressure, and flow, changing their textures and minerals. This continual cycle of rocks weathering into soils and being lithified into new

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    Origion of Soil

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    Hemal Mistry
    35 views1 page
    Rocks at or near the earth's surface weather and break down over time through processes like chemical decomposition and temperature/pressure changes, forming various types of soils. The type of soil formed depends on factors like the rock's mineral composition and the climate. There are three main rock types - igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic - that weather differently. For example, granite breaks down into sandy soils while basalt forms finer, clay-rich soils. Transportation by wind and water can move weathered materials and deposit sedimentary rocks. Metamorphism alters existing rocks through heat, pressure, and flow, changing their textures and minerals. This continual cycle of rocks weathering into soils and being lithified into new

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    ORIGION OF SOIL

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    ORIGION OF SOIL

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    Rocks at or near the earth's surface weather and break down over time through processes like chemical decomposition and temperature/pressure changes, forming various types of soils. The type of soil formed depends on factors like the rock's mineral composition and the climate. There are three main rock types - igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic - that weather differently. For example, granite breaks down into sandy soils while basalt forms finer, clay-rich soils. Transportation by wind and water can move weathered materials and deposit sedimentary rocks. Metamorphism alters existing rocks through heat, pressure, and flow, changing their textures and minerals. This continual cycle of rocks weathering into soils and being lithified into new

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    35 views1 page

    Origion of Soil

    Uploaded by

    Hemal Mistry
    Rocks at or near the earth's surface weather and break down over time through processes like chemical decomposition and temperature/pressure changes, forming various types of soils. The type of soil formed depends on factors like the rock's mineral composition and the climate. There are three main rock types - igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic - that weather differently. For example, granite breaks down into sandy soils while basalt forms finer, clay-rich soils. Transportation by wind and water can move weathered materials and deposit sedimentary rocks. Metamorphism alters existing rocks through heat, pressure, and flow, changing their textures and minerals. This continual cycle of rocks weathering into soils and being lithified into new

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    of 1

    2 Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering

    1.2 ORIGIN OF SOILS


    The earth’s crust consists of both rock and weathered rock (as soil) up to an approximate
    depth of 20 km. Soils (weathered rocks) originated from the rocks and minerals of the earth’s
    crust. The principal minerals subjected to weathering to produce soil at or near the earth’s
    surface and available in the order of abundance are quartz, feldspar, pyroxene, amphibole, etc.
    Continuous slow weathering processes, aided by crustal deformities in the past, are believed
    to have decomposed the solid rock to fragments, creating soils. The type of soil developed
    depends on the rock type, its mineral constituents, and the climatic regime of the area. Rock
    types are grouped into three major classes: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.
    Cooling and hardening of molten magma resulted in the formation of igneous rocks. Slow
    cooling of molten magma yields large crystals, while rapid cooling results in small crystals.
    Granite, syenites, diorites, and gabbros have large crystals, while basalts, rhyolites, and
    andesites have small crystals.
    Rocks containing quartz or orthoclase minerals with high silica content (e.g., granite and
    rhyolite) mostly decompose into sands* or gravelly** soils with a little clay.*** On the other
    hand, rocks (e.g., gabbros and basalt) whose minerals contain iron, magnesium, calcium, or
    sodium with a little silica decompose to yield fine-textured silty+ and clayey soils. Clays are
    not fragments of primary minerals from the parent rock but secondary minerals formed by
    the decomposition of primary minerals. Thus, the behaviour of clay is different from that of
    gravel and sand as the latter are composed of primary minerals.
    Transportation agents such as wind, water, and ice may move the loose weathered
    rock materials and deposit them in layers called sediments. Such sediments, with the
    cementing properties of fragments, when subjected under heavy pressure to compaction
    and cementation, result in sedimentary rocks. Sedimentary type of rocks are classified as
    chemical (e.g., limestones and dolomites), clastic (e.g., shale and sandstone), and biochemical
    or organic (e.g., fossil limestone, chalk, coral, and coal in the form of peat, lignite, bitumen,
    or anthracite).
    Sedimentary rocks, and to a lesser extent igneous rocks, when subjected to metamor-
    phism (changes brought about by combinations of heat, pressure, and plastic flow),
    undergo changes in their texture, structure, and mineral composition, resulting in rocks
    called metamorphic rocks. Metamorphism is of two types, thermal and dynamic. Thermal
    metamorphism occurs primarily due to temperature increase and high hydrostatic pressure,
    whereas dynamic metamorphism is due to differential pressure. Metamorphism changes
    limestone to marble, sandstone to quartzite, and shale to slate.
    Metamorphic rocks may be categorized as foliated or non-foliated. Foliation occurs during
    the process of metamorphism when some metamorphic rocks reduce back to sedimentary
    rocks. Gneiss and schist decompose into silt–sand mixtures with mica, slates and phyllites
    to clays, marble to limestone, and quartzite to sands and gravels.
    The cyclic process of transforming rock to soil and vice versa is a continuous process
    occurring over millions of years through complex chemical and physical processes. This
    phenomenon, referred to as the geological cycle, is schematically shown in Fig. 1.1.

    Particle sizes: *sand, 0.075 to 2 mm; **gravel, 2 to 4.75 mm; ***clay, < 0.002 mm; +silt, 0.002 to 0.075 mm.

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