SOIL

The meaning of this term varies depending on the field of consideration: (1) Pedology: the earth materials which have been so modified and acted upon by physical, chemical, and biological agents that it will support rooted plants; (2) Engineering Geology: the layer of incoherent rock material that nearly everywhere forms the surface of the land and rests on Bedrock, also called Regolith; (3) Ecology: A dynamic natural body on the surface of the earth in which plants grow, composed of mineral and organic materials and living forms.