Soil Forming

Rocks and Minerals

ARMIRA C. ROXAS
INSTRUCTOR I
MINERAL
Naturally occurring chemical
element or compound formed as a
product of inorganic processes.
Definite chemical composition
Crystal structure due to internal
arrangement of atoms
Two Groups:
Primary Minerals
Secondary Minerals
PRIMARY MINERALS
Formed at temperatures and/or
pressure higher than that normally
encountered at the Earth’s surface.
Those that exist in soils in their
original state and are very resistant
to decomposition.
They are the chief sources of the
sand and silt fractions of soils.
 SECONDARY MINERALS
 Formed under conditions of
temperature and pressure found at
the Earth’s surface by the
weathering of pre-existing minerals.
 Arise from the chemical breakdown
of the least resistant primary
minerals
 Most important contributions are
the clay fractions
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY MINERALS
MOHS SCALE OF HARDNESS
ROCK
oAggregate of one or more minerals
oPetrology - study of rocks, which comes
from the Greek word Petros means rock or
stone and Logos means Study
oCan be classified into three:
oIgneous Rock
oSedimentary Rock
oMetamorphic Rock
ROCK CYCLE
IGNEOUS ROCK
oOriginated from magma, a hot fluid mass
of melted rock.
oThey were once in a molten state, very
hot inside the earth, which were forced
upward to the surface. On cooling they
solidify.
MODES OF IGNEOUS
ROCK FORMATION
Intrusive – happens when magma
solidifies within the Earth’s crust.
Extrusive – happens when magma
is ejected out of the earth’s crust
through volcanic eruption and
solidifies on the surface;
CHARACTERISTICS OF IGNEOUS ROCKS
Potential
Types of Rock Composition
Contribution to Soil
Andesite Feldspar (75%) and ferromagnesian Neutral material
minerals 25%

Basalt Feldspar (50%) and ferromagnesian Fine-texture, high pH materials

minerals 50%

Diorite As andesite Neutral pH

Gabbro As basalt High pH material
Granite Ferromagnesian (50%), quartz (30%), Acidic material with some rapidly
ferromagnesian minerals (20%) weathering pockets at higher pH
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
oConsolidated fragments of
igneous and/or metamorphic
rock.
oThese are formed when
sediments is deposited out of
air, ice, wind, gravity, or water
flows carrying the particle in
suspension.
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
 Sedimentary rocks are formed by
erosion
 Sediments are moved from one
place to another
 Sediments are deposited in layers,
with the older ones on the bottom
 Lithification – the process in which
sediments compact under pressure,
expel connate fluids, and gradually
become solid rock
 TYPES OF SEDIMENTARY ROCK
Clastic Chemical Organic
Sedimentary Rocks Sedimentary Rocks Sedimentary Rocks
made of fragments of minerals crystallize form from the
rock cemented out of solution to accumulation of plant
together with calcite become rock or animal debris
or quartz
CLASTIC SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
CHEMICAL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
ORGANIC SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
Note:
Some dolomites and some
limestones are classified as
organic sedimentary rocks
due to their composition.
CHARACTERISTICS OF SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
Types of Potential Contribution to
Composition
Rock Soil
Breccia Variable Variable, usually stony, gravelly material

Conglomerate Variable Variable, usually stony, gravelly material

Limestone Calcite or dolomite sometime w/ Moderately high pH material, w/ high

OM calcium/,magnesium as carbonate or
exchangeable cations

Sandstone Quartz Low pH material, usually low in nutrient

Shale Clay minerals, quartz, sometimes Variable, fine textured material depending on
with OM minerals present
METAMORPHIC ROCKS
Chemically and/or physically
transformed igneous or
sedimentary rock by heat
and/or pressure.
Usually formed deep within
the Earth
Metamorphic rocks can be
foliated and non-foliated.
METAMORPHISM
Metamorphism is the change
of minerals or geologic texture
in pre-existing rocks, without
the protolith melting into
liquid magma.
The change occurs primarily
due to heat, pressure, and the
introduction of chemically
active fluids
FOLIATED METAMORPHIC ROCK
Have a layered or banded
appearance that is produced by
exposure to heat and directed
pressure.
These rocks develop a platy or
sheet-like structure that reflects
the direction that pressure was
applied in.
FOLIATED METAMORPHIC ROCK
NON-FOLIATED METAMORPHIC ROCK
Do not have a layered or
banded appearance.
Formed around igneous
intrusions where the
temperatures are high but the
pressures are relatively low and
equal in all directions
NON-FOLIATED METAMORPHIC ROCK
CHARACTERISTICS OF METAMORPHIC ROCKS
Types of Potential Contribution to
Composition
Rock Soil

Gneiss Altered granite

Formed from igneous rocks with
Marble Altered limestone much higher pH to neutral soil
forming material
Quartsize Formed from sandstone
Soils produced are not usually
Schist Altered from shale productive

Slate Altered from shale