Question.
Which are the two main climatic factors responsible for soil formation?
( Chapter - 2 Land-Soil-Water-Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources, Cass 8 NCERT Resources and Development ( Geography) )
Answer.
The covering of granular particles on the surface of the earth is called soil. Soil is formed by the process of weathering. Soil is a very valuable natural resource, as agriculture and allied activities and other natural resources like forests are directly dependent on soil. It takes hundreds of years for just a one-centimeter layer of soil to form.
Soil formation depends on the nature of the parent rock and climatic factors. Among the climatic factors, temperature and rainfall are the two main climatic factors responsible for soil formation.
Role of temperature and rainfall in soil formation:
Temperature and precipitation (rainfall) affect weathering and humus formation.
Heavy rainfall and high temperatures enhance the weathering [chemical weathering] process and soil formation, which is why the depth of weathered soil is greater in equatorial regions.
Temperature variations cause the rock to expand (when heated) and contract (when cooled), a process that causes the rock to weaken and break down over time.
When the rainwater reaches the crevices of the rock, it expands the rock when it forms ice and this breaks the rocks and forms the soil.
When rainwater reaches the cracked rock, it reacts chemically with the minerals present in them and this causes the rocks to dissolve.
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