Weathering, Erosion and Soils

The pedosphere is like the “skin of Earth”. Just like your skin, it has a thin outer surface. It also has pore spaces and dries out without enough moisture.

Plants mostly use water and carbon dioxide from the air to grow. But nutrients like nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) & potassium (K) are also key ingredients.

Soil formation is vital for food production and plant growth. Weathering is the process that breaks rock down into soils. Without it, soil wouldn’t exist.

Biological weathering can occur from mechanical force and chemical reactions such as through plants, bacteria, fungi, burrowing animals and living organisms

From the remarkable process of plates colliding and building mountains. They are only to be dismantled by mass wasting (weathering, erosion and transport).

Mechanical weathering is the breakdown of rocks into sediments by physical means.This type of weathering does not alter the chemical composition of rocks.

Chemical weathering is the process of transforming a rock’s composition through chemical reactions (by dissolving or converting them into other minerals)