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What are some factors that influence soil formation?

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What are some factors that influence soil formation?
Why is mechanical weathering most effective in cold regions and chemical weathering most effective in warm, moist regions?
Why do soils from different climates have different profiles?

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The factors that influence soil formations are determined. Why mechanical weather is the most effective in cold regions and chemical weathering most effective in warm, moist regions is determined.

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What are some factors that influence soil formation?
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Soils are an expression of the location which they are formed and are derived from a variety of different materials that go through several different types of processes. The five major factors that affect soil formation are parent material, climate, living organisms (particularly vegetation), topography, and time (how long the soil has been developing). These influences combined determine a soilâ??s properties and how well developed a soil profile is.

The parent material is the organic or mineral material on which the soil begins forming. It is often the C layer of a soil profile, referred to as the foundation or the bedrock. Soil development can occur more rapidly in materials that are permeable to water while dense, massive, or clay materials are resistant to soil formation, resulting in a weaker profile. Many bedrock types break down into residue through weathering processes. This residue that becomes the parent material of soil imposes its parent characteristics into the resulting profile.

Climate is a major influence on the type of animal and plant life present in the soil. It therefore is connected to the amount of water available for weathering materials and transporting minerals. In addition to this, climate has an influence on soil ...

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