How do soils differ from sediments?
1 Answer
Soils are the result of subaerial exposure and the weathering of rock, while sediments are the result of erosional transport of material away from a weathering site and deposition in a new location.
Explanation:
Soils are quite complex and form when rock is weathered in the presences of oxygen. The rock is slowly broken down by oxidation, freeze-thaw cycles, biological activity, and chemicals leaching through the rock. See pic.
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Sediments are when weathering of rock occurs and erosion and transportation remove the rock particles and transport them to somewhere else. Once they are deposited "somewhere else" we call this a "sediment". Sediments are found in lakes, rivers, sand dunes, beaches, and the ocean. pic. If sediments get buried deep enough and undergo compaction and cementation, they turn into "sedimentary rocks".
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