Lesson 4 of 13
The thin layer on top
Show on a big screenA bare rock holds little. A field grows rice. What is the difference?
Step 1 of 4
- Bare rock sits at the surface.
- Slowly, its top breaks into small pieces.
- Dead leaves and roots land on it too.
- Mixed together, they make soil. A plant grows.
The rule
The difference is soil, which gives plants what they need.
The geosphere is the solid part of Earth. Minerals are useful natural materials in rocks, like salt and metals. Remains are what is left of dead plants and animals.
Rocks, soil and minerals make up the geosphere. Soil comes from broken rock and the remains of plants and animals. It holds nutrients that plants need.
Nitrogen and potassium are two of those nutrients. A landform is a land shape, like a hill or valley. The variety of landforms, rocks and soils is called geodiversity.
Slide through the stages. Watch rock become soil.
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Try the lab to finish this lesson.