What is soil science?
Q: What is soil science?
A: Soil science is the branch of science that deals with soil as a natural resource on the surface of the earth, including soil formation, classification and mapping.
Q: What other sciences are related to the soil sciences?
A: Engineering, agronomy, chemistry, geology, geography, biology, microbiology, sylviculture, public health, archaeology, and regional planning are some of the sciences related to soil sciences.
Q: What is included in the term "soil"?
A: The term "soil" includes anything between the top of the dirt and the top of the underlying rock bedrock.
Q: What is the top layer of soil high in?
A: The top layer of soil is high in organic matter, such as rotting plants.
Q: What happens to metals in the layer of soil when rainwater comes into contact with it?
A: When rainwater comes into contact with the layer of soil, it removes some metals in a process called "leaching" and those metals get collected in another, lower layer.
Q: What is the lowest layer of soil made up of?
A: The lowest layer of soil is made up mostly of broken bits of bedrock.
Q: Why are soils important?
A: Soils are important because most groundwater, which is used in everything from city water supplies to farming, is found in soil, not bedrock.
