The Earth is, without a doubt, a fascinating world. It has different types of shapes and reliefs: mountains, mountains, valleys, flat places and a multitude of different features. But have you ever wondered what the earth's surface is made up of, the environment on which plants are formed, where animals live and buildings stand?
Our Earth's surface is made up of two main items: the rocks and minerals.
You minerals are found in nature in two different ways: in isolation, without integrating any other element, and forming the rocks. That's right, rocks are nothing more than the natural union of different minerals! An example is granite, a rock that is formed by three main minerals: quartz, mica and feldspar.
Granite is a rock formed by several minerals.
Soils are formed by the decomposition of rocks. Over time, the action of water, winds and beings gradually wears them down, more or less as the saying goes: “soft water, hard rock, it hits until it breaks”. This wear turns large rock formations into small particles, such as dust and sand, which we callsediments.
Thus, the rock that gives rise to the soilsit also determines its type and even its quality. For example: a rock called basalt, which originates from the solidification of lava from volcanoes, turns into an extremely fertile soil called purple Earth, very conducive to agriculture.
Do not forget: in the world of Earth Sciences there are no “stones”! This term is an informal name for rocks, which is the correct expression. The same goes for “precious stones” in relation to minerals.
By Rodolfo Alves Pena
Graduated in Geography
