Pedology

Pedology is the scientific study of soil. Just like how you learn about your body in science class, scientists learn about soil in this class called pedology. Soil is the stuff that makes up the surface of the ground that plants grow in.

Soil is made up of tiny pieces of rocks, water and air, and organisms like worms and bacteria. If you go outside and pick up a handful of soil, you may see some tiny particles, twigs, and pebbles. These things are all part of the soil.

Pedologists study these things in soil to learn more about it. They try to understand how soil is formed, what types of soil exist, and how soil can be changed by things like people using the ground for things like buildings or farming. They also look at how soil affects the environment, like how it helps plants grow or how it is affected by pollutants.

Soil is really important because it is the foundation for all the plants that grow on the ground. Pedology helps us take care of soil so that we can have good plants to eat and pretty flowers to look at!