What Are The Factors Forming Land That Have A Significant Impact

Land has always been a valuable asset that supports the life of all humans on Earth. The formation of the soil involves a series of complex processes that take such a long time. There are several factors in soil formation that have a significant impact on the physical and chemical properties of the soil. Check out the reviews regarding the factors forming the soil below.

Deep understanding of the factors forming the soil is important to detail the complexity and diversity of land around the world. By maintaining these factors, it is certain that the survival of a healthy environment and caring for natural resources will be inherited from generation to generation.

Quoted from Dadang Tri Atmoko's book Geographic Student Book, SMA/MA Class 10 by S.Pd. M.Sc. (2021), the most dominant factor for forming land is climate factors. Below are other factors.

Climate is one of the main factors in soil formation. Rainfall, temperature, and climate thoroughly affect the speed of rock weathering and soil organisms that play a role in producing organic materials.

In tropical areas with high rainfall, the soil tends to form a thick layer of humus.

Identification or original rock provides a major contribution to soil properties. The process of physical and chemical weathering in rocks produces soil particles.

Rocks containing many minerals can produce fertile soil, while less mineral-containing rocks produce underfertilized soil.

Soil plants and organisms, such as bacteria and earthworms, play an important role in soil formation.

The roots of the plants reshuffle rocks and help accelerate the weathering process, while the activity of soil organisms produces humus that increases soil fertility.

The process of ground formation takes a very long time. The longer the soil is in a weathering and deposition condition, the more mature and fertile the soil.

By considering the soil formation factor, the diversity of land around the world can be understood and the importance of maintaining its ecological balance. In the agricultural context, this understanding is also the basis for sustainable soil cultivation practices.

Topography or soil shape also affects soil formation. On the slopes of the mountain, soil tends to be thinner due to larger erosion, while in the lowlands, soil can experience an accumulation of deposits.

The weather is a natural process that occurs on the earth's surface to form soil through decomposition or destruction of rocks, minerals, and organic materials, and this process occurs physically, chemically, and biologically.

Physical weathering occurs when rocks split into smaller fragments without changing their chemical composition. Several examples of physical weathering include rapid or drastic temperature changes, such as when water held inside a rock gap freezes and melts back as the temperature rises. This process can accelerate rock collapse and separate it into smaller fragments. Physical weathering processes can also occur when plant roots or other organisms grow and suppress rock, and break into smaller fragments.

Biological weathering occurs when living organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, help in decomposing organic materials and minerals in the soil. This organization produces enzymes that help in breaking organic matter into simpler chemical compounds, which are then used by plants to grow. This organization also helps in shaping humus, dark organic material that contains many nutrients and is essential for plant growth.

Chemical weathering occurs when rocks are described through chemical reactions with water, air, or other chemicals found in the soil. One example of chemical weathering is oxidation, where oxygen reacts to minerals in rocks to undergo the formation of new chemical compounds. Chemical weathering can also occur when acid, such as carbonic acid or sulfate acid, reacts to minerals in rocks and changes its chemical composition.