Question

The major source of minerals in the soil is
A. Parent rock from which soil is formed
B. Plants
C. Animals
D. Decomposers

Answer 1

Hint: Minerals are one of the main components of soil. Soil is a nutrient-rich compound that is responsible for the growth of other organisms. The mineral content of the soil can be replenished by various processes and organisms too.

Step by step answer:Soil is a compound that comprises rock, organic matter, minerals, water, living organisms, and gas. The soil has different functions as it acts as a water storage i.e. supply and purification, as a medium for plant growth, and as a habitat for a living organism. Soil is also known as “earth” or “dirt”. Soil is obtained by various factors such as organism, climate, topography, and soil’s initial or parent material.
-Soil is the upper humus and porous medium that has developed in the uppermost layer of Earth’s crust. A productive soil contains approximately 46% mineral content, 4% organic matter, 25% water, and 25% air. The physical characteristics of soil are due to the size of its soil particles. Soils are classified according to their particle size which includes sand (0.05mm-2mm), slit (0.002mm-0.05mm) and clay (>0.002mm).
-The soil studies can be done by determining the soil texture (the soil texture depends on the proportion of the constituent solid particles of different sizes), pH, moisture content (amount of water contained in the material), specific gravity (is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of given reference material), bulk density (mass of many-particle of the compost divided by total volume they occupy) and water holding capacity (the amount of water retained in soil).
-The main component of soil is soil minerals. Minerals are produced from rock i.e. parent material. The process of natural erosion and weathering leads to the formation of soil minerals. Water, pressure, temperature change, gravity, wind, living organisms can help to break down the parent material. The soil minerals and organic matter can be replenished with help of decomposers.
Hence, the correct answer is option A i.e., the major source of the minerals in the soil is parent rock from which soil is formed.

Note: The type of rock i.e., parent material, and the conditions under which they break down will decide the properties of soil formed. The mineral content of the soil can be determined by using various quantitative methods that are available.