Soil and Earth Materials

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Soil

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An earth material made up of a mixture of various sizes of different rock pieces, organic matter, water, and air.

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Horizons

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Horizontal layers of soil in the earth with physical and chemical properties that differ from those soil layers above or below it (from top to bottom: topsoil, subsoil, parent material, bedrock).

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Decompose

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To break down organic material by natural processes, chemicals, etc.

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Organic matter

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Material that has come from the remains of organisms such as plants and animals and their waste products in the environment.

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Composition

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What something is made of, or its ingredients.

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Permeability

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The state or quality of a material (such as soil) that causes it to allow liquids or gases to pass through it.

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Porosity

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A measure of how much of a rock or soil is open space.

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Weathering

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The breaking down of materials through contact with water, wind, and biological organisms.

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Silt

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Sediment that consists of particles somewhere between sand and clay, which is oftentimes found deposited in a body of water, feels very silky.

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Clay

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Sediment with particles smaller than silt and sand.