Soil is classified into four types:

Understanding Soil Deterioration: Soil deterioration is the loss of fertile soil, which makes it impossible for anything to grow in that area. It comes from depleted resources like organic matter, fertility, and nutrients.

Soil degradation causes include agricultural, industrial, and commercial pollution; loss of arable land due to urban expansion, overgrazing, and unsustainable agricultural practices; and long-term climatic changes. The issues of soil health and impacts on human well-being are discussed in detail in Chapter 27.

• Sandy soil.
• Silt Soil.
• Clay Soil.
• Loamy Soil.

Soils come in different shades. Most shades of soil are black, brown, red, gray, and white. Soil color and other properties including texture, structure, and consistence are used to distinguish and identify soil horizons (layers) and to group soils according to the soil classification system called Soil Taxonomy.

Soil water is the term for water found in naturally occurring soil. Soil water is also called rhizic water. There are three main types of soil water – gravitational water, capillary water, and hygroscopic water – and these terms are defined based on the function of the water in the soil.

Soil texture (such as loam, sandy loam or clay) refers to the proportion of sand, silt and clay sized particles that make up the mineral fraction of the soil. For example, light soil refers to a soil high in sand relative to clay, while heavy soils are made up largely of clay.

The twelve classifications are sand, loamy sand, sandy loam, loam, silt loam, silt, sandy clay loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, sandy clay, silty clay, and clay. Soil textures are classified by the fractions of each soil separate (sand, silt, and clay) present in a soil.