Our soils first had their foundations from rock along with the remains of living creature and decomposed vegetation. Try and visualize (if you will) vast expanses of time, many eons ago, while huge stone areas are collapsing and subsiding. Temperature, moisture, ion exchange processes, corrosion and movement have caused this to happen. As a result of movement, friction and the abrasion of stone chunks grinding against stone chunks. Imagine, enormous solidified magma, the complete pandemonium of it all, colliding, grinding, waring one another away. What’ the result of this phenomenon? Clearly, I am confident everyone will see. This is what took place, bits of stone have been abraded, high temperatures were created, pieces of stone had been crushed into one another and produced new stone aggregates, and many parts were reduced to liquid in muddy water. There was immense transitions of heat, Initially most things were heated up to boiling point, after that progressively everything cooled. You will be familiar with a number of the affects of winter weather of rapid freezing and melting. Except these small illustrations of burst irrigation hoses and cracked water containers are nothing like the cracking and shattering which occurred in those times. Because moisture as well as the atmospheric gases assisted the degeneration.
This action and the wearing away, we describe as a mechanical process, Now it is easy enough to appreciate how tiny pebbles were created. This points out the amazing separation of clay soil from sandy soil. You see beaches constitute vast areas of clean sand or tiny pebbles. If soil was not anything other than shattered quartzite rock, it would be very impoverished and as a consequence infertile. Save for the primitive varieties of creatures and vegetation decomposing and becoming an ingredient within the sedimentary rock, thankfully, a superior soil followed. Consequently these richer soils we talk about as sandy soils include mixed through the crushed rock some other substances, at times clay, often decayed vegetation or humus, as well as frequent animal excrement.
Soils made of clay are in a different class all on there own. Because it occurs where particular segments in stone aggregate started to be dissolved while moisture dribbled through it and there were very high temperatures. This solution eventuated because in the atmosphere are specific gasses known as co2 or carbon dioxide. This type of gas dissolves and transforms selected ingredients of crushed rock. From time to time you observe impressive rocky outcrops with segments protruding like they have been corroded away. Carbon dioxide does this. As it transformed this corroded element into another thing, which we identify as clay.
This sort of change is chemical not mechanical. To simplify the difference in a change like this: in the first instance of sand, that had a mechanical change take place, you end up with what you first had, except that it’s volume and it’s size are much smaller. We first had a large boulder, and finished with small grains of sand. However you still have the same type of rock in the end. Mechanical friction will be able to be shown by a sugar cube. Let’s say your sugar cube stands for a massive sized boulder. Smash up that sugar cube – but these little bits are still sugar – And so it is with the large boulders.
However during the situation of a chemical transformation you begin and have one type of object and finish and have a different one. In this case we began with a large boulder that had a part which had become transformed as a result of the carbonic acid gas corroding it. The result which is formed by the residue left after the carbolic acid has finished is very small particles of clay In the event of chemical change one thing is completely changed to form another. Clay soils have also been known as mud soils – as a rule wet clay is mud and dry mud is clay – the deciding factor is how much water is present.
An additional soil type is lime soil – which makes three soil types – lime soil is formed from limestone -. Limestone has a most interesting beginning. During earths history there have been highly active periods where marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera flourished – Limestone is a sedimentary rock made of the dead skeletal remains of these animals
Over time and because of certain geological events the dead remains (aragonite or calcite) were covered by silt, sand and other debris, this compacted and through pressure caused rock to form. Limestone may be massive, clastic, granular, or crystalline, depending on the method of formation. 10% of all sedimentary rock is limestone and Limestone is responsible for the Mollisol soil group which is known to be alkaline/base, deep and high organic matter nutrient rich surface soil.
During the tectonic process of mountain building (orogeny) and the pressures involved, limestone re-crystallizes and becomes marble. Chalk is also a form of limestone and is more weather resistant than clays, even though it is also very fine and can form large steep cliffs. It is a porous substance and naturally provides a good water reservoir. One way you will always be able to tell if a rock is based on limestone is add a little acid – any acid, vinegar will do – if it fizzes and bubbles than it is made of calcite and/or aragonite, both are calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in different forms.
Make The Soils We Use Nutrient Enriched Super Soil
I am filled with wonder every time I think of how old the earth is an how soils and rocks are recreated again anew, repeatedly. This is how we get the three basic soil types of sand, clay and lime. Knowing where, how and when our soils are made gives us a better understanding for interests in farming, agriculture and horticulture and can assist our love of eating nutritious flavorsome food.
When you understand the basic soil construction, you can turn your basic foundation into super productive rich soil and for that you need compost. Compost will enrich your soil with added nutrients and also assist in evening out moisture retention. Click for comprehensive instructions on how to make regular compost, bokashi compost and compost tea, that are sure to make even the most ordinary garden soils grow blooming beautiful plants.