SOIL PROFILE

The soil profile is where the secrets of the soil and landscape around it are hidden. 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.

HORIZONTAL LAYER

Topsoil is the upper, outermost layer of soil, usually the top 2 inches (5.1 cm) to 8 inches (20 cm). It has the highest concentration of organic matter and microorganisms and is where most of the Earth's biological soil activity occurs.

Subsoil are commonly referred to as the subsoil. They are a zone of accumulation where rain water percolating through the soil has leached material from above and it has precipitated within the B horizons or the material may have weathered in place.

ParticalThe E horizon, which is a leached horizon, follows the A horizon if it is present. An E horizon (the E stands for elluvial, or very leached) has been very weathered by water and organic acids, and, depending on the parent material, may be as white as a ghost (eek!). In soils with very low productivity, such as desert soils, the E can be the uppermost horizon because there isn't enough organic matter production to develop an A horizon. It might help to think of the word empty when you think of the E horizon...it is empty of brown organic matter and colorful minerals, and so it is a very light tan, gray or white.

Parent Materialwhich we have been discussing all along, is what is being altered into soil. While it will change over time because of weathering, a soil with a parent material like basalt lava will be different than a soil with a parent material like beach sand because the parent materials are so different chemically and physically.

SOIL PROBLEMS

The main reason why the soil becomes contaminated is due to the presence of man made waste. The waste produced from nature itself such as dead plants, carcasses of animals and rotten fruits and vegetables only adds to the fertility of the soil. However, our waste products are full of chemicals that are not originally found in nature and lead to soil pollution.