Lecture

Soil Formation

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In course

AR-597(a): Superstudio A

This Superstudio will study the history of the villa by focusing on 30 case studies, from antiquity to the last century. The aim of this study is to understand through the architecture of the villa the most quintessential tropes of architecture: form, poli ...

Description

This lecture explains the process of soil formation, starting with the weathering of rocks due to climate, followed by the dissolution of rock elements by rainwater, the expansion of cracks by temperature fluctuations, and the role of pioneer vegetation in further breaking down rocks. Over time, organic matter accumulates and mixes with mineral matter, leading to the transformation of rock minerals into soil minerals. The lecture also covers the deposition and homogenization of soil layers, the aging of soil, the impact of human activities like landfilling on soil fertility, and the steps involved in soil reconstruction for agricultural purposes.

Instructors (3)

Paolo Tombesi

Teaching & PhD PhD Students Martin Peikert, Chloé Lucie Joly-Pottuz Courses Political economy of design AR-485 Political Economy of Design (PED) seeks to position and discuss architecture in relation to the world of production, economic interests and community benefits or decisions, at a local and global scale. Studio BA5 (FAR) AR-301(j) The design studio deals with a Women's Centre located in Wau, South Sudan. It is part of a two-semester program focused on the theme of ar

Sébastien Jacques Marie Marot

Martin Fröhlich

Expertise Trained Architect and Co-Founder of AFF Architekten Berlin / Lausanne Teaching & PhD Courses Saxa Loquuntur: Culture of construction PENS-240 The course explores how material extraction, territorial change, trade, local traditions, and industrial production interconnect. By examining scales from territory to building detail, students learn how various professions interact to shape the built environment. Studio BA6 (Fröhlich M. & A.) AR-302(ag) Greenhouse Studies exp

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Biology

Ecology: Ecosystems

Related concepts (31)

Soil

Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from soil by restricting the former term specifically to displaced soil. Soil consists of a solid phase of minerals and organic matter (the soil matrix), as well as a porous phase that holds gases (the soil atmosphere) and water (the soil solution). Accordingly, soil is a three-state system of solids, liquids, and gases.

Soil science

Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to the use and management of soils. Sometimes terms which refer to branches of soil science, such as pedology (formation, chemistry, morphology, and classification of soil) and edaphology (how soils interact with living things, especially plants), are used as if synonymous with soil science.

Soil formation

Soil formation, also known as pedogenesis, is the process of soil genesis as regulated by the effects of place, environment, and history. Biogeochemical processes act to both create and destroy order (anisotropy) within soils. These alterations lead to the development of layers, termed soil horizons, distinguished by differences in color, structure, texture, and chemistry. These features occur in patterns of soil type distribution, forming in response to differences in soil forming factors.

Soil biology

Soil biology is the study of microbial and faunal activity and ecology in soil. Soil life, soil biota, soil fauna, or edaphon is a collective term that encompasses all organisms that spend a significant portion of their life cycle within a soil profile, or at the soil-litter interface. These organisms include earthworms, nematodes, protozoa, fungi, bacteria, different arthropods, as well as some reptiles (such as snakes), and species of burrowing mammals like gophers, moles and prairie dogs.

Soil fertility

Soil fertility refers to the ability of soil to sustain agricultural plant growth, i.e. to provide plant habitat and result in sustained and consistent yields of high quality. It also refers to the soil's ability to supply plant/crop nutrients in the right quantities and qualities over a sustained period of time. A fertile soil has the following properties: The ability to supply essential plant nutrients and water in adequate amounts and proportions for plant growth and reproduction; and The absence of toxic substances which may inhibit plant growth e.

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