Fun Facts!
- 70 000 Different types of soil in the U.S.
- 1 Tablespoon of soil has more organisms in it than there are people on earth
- 500 Minimum years it takes to form one inch of topsoil
- 5 000 Different types of bacteria in one gram of soil
- 0.01 Percent of the earth’s water held in soil
- 15 Tons of dry soil per acre that pass through one earthworm each year
- 1 400 000 Earthworms that can be found in an acre of cropland
- 20 000 Pounds of total living matter in the top six inches of an acre of soil
- 10 Percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions stored in soil
- 4 000 Gallons of water soil needs to produce one bushel of corn
- 11 000 Gallons of water soil needs to produce one bushel of wheat
- Just like all living things, however, soil can degrade and die, losing the biological properties that sustain life, due to pollution, acidification or the absence of humus, the top coat of the topsoil layer that renews fertility