Examples of different soils

· Savanna soils

The depth of soil varies a great deal.
Often the soil is missing.
You can see the pebbles.

Bad savanna soil

The subsoil is very unstable.
It may become very hard.
Then a hardpan forms.
Roots cannot penetrate it.
Nothing can be grown on it.

· Mountain soils

In the mountains there is often neither soil nor subsoil.
You can see the parent rock and nothing grows.
If there is a little soil on the parent rock, a few small trees and some grass grow among the stones.

· Forest soils

The soil is rich.
The subsoil is always very poor; it contains no mineral salts; it does not become hard and does not form a hardpan.

· Soils of the same village

In various fields of the same village the layers of soil can be very different. On the slopes, for example, the soil may have been carried away by the rain.
That is why the soil is deeper in the valleys.

Soil is deeper in the valleys