GEOB 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 26: Pedogenesis, Soil, Boron

• School: UBC
• Department: Geographical Biogeosciences
• Course: GEOB 102
• Professor: Gordan Djurdjevic

Document Summary

Geob 102 - our changing environment: climate and ecosystems - lecture 26: soil characteristics. Porosity and permeability are fundamental for plant growth. Mineral: natural inorganic substance with a definite chemical composition and atomic structure. Soil mineralogy: refers to the study of the mineral composition of soils. Mineral fraction of soils is composed of: Primary minerals: larger, unaltered fragments from bedrock or parent material; mainly quartz and silicates. Secondary minerals: smaller particles resulting from chemical weathering or mineral alteration; mainly clay minerals; key to soil fertility because they can hold essential nutrients. Organic matter: partially decayed remains of living organisms. Humus: very fine and amorphous organic matter; major source of nutrients; contributes to improve soil structure and nutrient retention. Humification: transformation of organic matter into humus. Mineralization: transformation of organic matter into inorganic minerals. Macronutrients primary: nitrogen (n), phosphorus (p) and potassium (k); secondary: calcium (ca), magnesium (mg) and sulphur (s)