Pedosphere

Article summary

(A); regolith (B); and saprolite, a less-weathered regolith (C). The pedosphere ( ) is the outermost layer of the Earth's crust that is composed of soil and subject to soil formation and erosion processes. It exists at the interface of the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. The pedosphere is the "stratum corneum" of the Earth's surface and only develops when there is a dynamic interaction between the atmosphere (air in and above the soil), biosphere (living organisms and associated organic matters), lithosphere (unconsolidated regolith and consolidated bedrock) and the hydrosphere (water in, on and below the soil). The pedosphere is the foundation of terrestrial ecosystems on Earth. The pedosphere acts as the mediator of chemical and biogeochemical flux into and out of these respective systems and is made up of gaseous, mineralic, fluid and biologic components. The pedosphere lies within the Critical Zone, a broader interface that includes vegetation, pedosphere, aquifer systems, regolith and finally ends at some depth in the bedrock where the biosphere and hydrosphere cease to make significant changes to the chemistry at depth.…

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1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
3. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

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