Page 185 - New Medley 3 Semester 2

When such changes take place very o en, the rocks get cracked. Too many

cracks result in breaking the rocks into small pieces. e process of breaking
up of rocks goes on, over and over again, until the pieces of rocks turn into

very ne particles. A collection of such ne particles is called soil. e roots of
plants also help in breaking the rocks. Breaking of di erent types of rocks gives

di erent types of soil.

Types of Soil

Soil di ers in the size of its grains or particles

and the minerals it contains. Di erent types of

soil have di erent minerals present in them. Soils

are given names on the basis of how much sand,

silt and clay are present in them.

Sandy soil
Sand is the largest particle in the soil. It feels Sand

rough on rubbing. It has sharp edges. It does not

hold much water. e spaces between the sand

grains are lled with air.

Silt soil

Silt particles are smaller than the sand particles.
Silt feels smooth and powdery. When wet, it feels
smooth but not sticky. Silt

Clayey soil

Clay is the smallest of all soil particles. Clay is

very smooth when dry and sticky when wet. Soil
containing more of clay is called heavy soil. Clay

does not let the air in but passes water through
it well.

A soil having equal amounts of sand and clay
is called loam. Loam is the best soil to grow Clay

plants.

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