Slopes and Soil Development

Soil texture and structure
Structure
Soil particles clump together to give a soil its structure
Four basic soil structures
Platy
Prismatic
Blocky
Spheroidal

Controls of Soil Formation

Parent material
Residual soil – parent material is the bedrock
Transported soil – parent material has been carried from elsewhere and deposited
Time
Important in all geologic processes
Amount of time to evolve varies for different soils

Climate
Plants and animals
Organisms influence the soil’s physical and chemical properties
Furnish organic matter to soil

Slope
Angle
Steep slopes often have poorly developed soils
Optimum is a flat-to-undulating upland surface
Orientation (direction the slope is facing) influences
Soil temperature
Moisture