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| Loose, weathered material on Earth's surface in which plants can grow. |
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| Solid layer of rock beneath the soil. Once bedrock is exposed to air, water, and living things, it gradually weathers into smaller and smaller particles that are the most common componets of soil. |
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| Dark-colored substance that forms as plant and animal remains decay. |
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| The fertility of soil is a measure of how well the soil supports plant growth. |
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| The pH scale measures acidity. A substance with a pH less than 4 is strongly acidic, a substance with a pH of 7 is neither acidic nor basic, and a substance with a pH greater than 10 is strongly basic. |
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| Layer of soil that differs in color, texture, and composition from the layers above or below it. |
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| Crumbly, Dark brown soil that is a mixture of humus, clay, and other minerals. Topsoil forms as plants add organic material to the soil, and plant roots weather pieces of rock. |
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| Subsoil is a layer consisting of clay and other particles of rock, but little humus. It forms as rainwater washes these materials down from the Topsoil. |
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| Subsoil is a layer consisting of clay and other particles of rock, but little humus. It forms as rainwater washes these materials down from the Topsoil. |
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| Decomposers are organisms that break the remains of dead organisms into smaller pieces, and digest them with chemicals. This material then mixes with the soil as humus. |
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