school energy&environment
Soil
The soil is thin layer covering the Earth’s crust, in contact with the atmosphere: its nature and composition depend on an equilibrium between environmental factors of a chemical, physical and biological nature. It represents an important natural resource because it allows the growth of spontaneous vegetation and as a consequence an environment that is rich and varied, where many forms of life live, mainly micro-organisms and insects. Here, thanks to the presence of microflora and microfauna, the nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus cycles are completed. These are fundamental for all living beings. The soil is also a source of nourishment because it allows the growth of agricultural crops and animal farming, furthermore it provides wood that is used by a part of the world population as fuel.
subjects dealt with in Soil
Soil knowledge
The soil consists of a mixture of solid particles, water and air. Solid particles can be inorganic or organic. The…
Soil formation
Soil formation is the result of long processes (paedogenesis) that are generally based on the alteration (that is change) of…
Soil classification
Soil thickness depends on soil inclination. If the land is inclined rock debris do not accumulate on the spot since,…
Soil biology
Soil is the ‘place’ where materials essential for ecological equilibrium are formed and decompose, but it is also where our…
Environment and territory
The soil is a dynamic system that has reached a balance with the other surrounding elements. Man can compromise it…
special reports
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13 May 2018 / Earth
Small steps, great footprints
Which one takes up more space, an apple or a steak? Have you ever wondered how much space is taken…
20 July 2022 / Earth
Earth Overshoot Day 2022
Every day the Earth offers us countless resources, such as food, timber, CO2 absorption by forests and oceans, fibre, space…
18 February 2022 / Earth
Medicine, climate or space exploration? The main scientific challenges in 2022
According to the international journal Nature, the year that has just begun will bring with it major scientific and technological…
-
21 January 2022 / Earth
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai
On 15 January, at about 5 pm (Italian time), the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted, spewing a huge amount of…
2 May 2021 / Earth
Citizen science, research conducted by ordinary citizens
When we think of scientists, we often imagine people wearing white coats, shut up in a laboratory working with test…
9 February 2021 / Earth
At the origin of rocks: the secrets of paleomagnetism
Dear rock, tell me how your magnetic crystals are oriented and I'll tell you when, under what conditions and in…
-
28 August 2020 / Earth
The Earth seen from above: signs of fires
This image was taken by the ASTER sensor installed on the NASA TERRA satellite platform. The image was taken on…
15 July 2020 / Earth
Earth viewed from above
Remote satellite sensing: what it is and what it is used for In the scientific field, the images produced by…
12 April 2019 / Earth
Easter with extinct friends
Easter Island is shaped like a triangle with three extinct volcanoes placed at the vertices, and has a total area…
-
13 May 2018 / Earth
Small steps, great footprints
Which one takes up more space, an apple or a steak? Have you ever wondered how much space is taken…
20 July 2022 / Earth
Earth Overshoot Day 2022
Every day the Earth offers us countless resources, such as food, timber, CO2 absorption by forests and oceans, fibre, space…
-
18 February 2022 / Earth
Medicine, climate or space exploration? The main scientific challenges in 2022
According to the international journal Nature, the year that has just begun will bring with it major scientific and technological…
21 January 2022 / Earth
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai
On 15 January, at about 5 pm (Italian time), the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted, spewing a huge amount of…
-
2 May 2021 / Earth
Citizen science, research conducted by ordinary citizens
When we think of scientists, we often imagine people wearing white coats, shut up in a laboratory working with test…
9 February 2021 / Earth
At the origin of rocks: the secrets of paleomagnetism
Dear rock, tell me how your magnetic crystals are oriented and I'll tell you when, under what conditions and in…
-
28 August 2020 / Earth
The Earth seen from above: signs of fires
This image was taken by the ASTER sensor installed on the NASA TERRA satellite platform. The image was taken on…
15 July 2020 / Earth
Earth viewed from above
Remote satellite sensing: what it is and what it is used for In the scientific field, the images produced by…
-
12 April 2019 / Earth
Easter with extinct friends
Easter Island is shaped like a triangle with three extinct volcanoes placed at the vertices, and has a total area…
-
13 May 2018 / Earth
Small steps, great footprints
Which one takes up more space, an apple or a steak? Have you ever wondered how much space is taken…
-
20 July 2022 / Earth
Earth Overshoot Day 2022
Every day the Earth offers us countless resources, such as food, timber, CO2 absorption by forests and oceans, fibre, space…
-
18 February 2022 / Earth
Medicine, climate or space exploration? The main scientific challenges in 2022
According to the international journal Nature, the year that has just begun will bring with it major scientific and technological…
-
21 January 2022 / Earth
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai
On 15 January, at about 5 pm (Italian time), the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted, spewing a huge amount of…
-
2 May 2021 / Earth
Citizen science, research conducted by ordinary citizens
When we think of scientists, we often imagine people wearing white coats, shut up in a laboratory working with test…
-
9 February 2021 / Earth
At the origin of rocks: the secrets of paleomagnetism
Dear rock, tell me how your magnetic crystals are oriented and I'll tell you when, under what conditions and in…
-
28 August 2020 / Earth
The Earth seen from above: signs of fires
This image was taken by the ASTER sensor installed on the NASA TERRA satellite platform. The image was taken on…
-
15 July 2020 / Earth
Earth viewed from above
Remote satellite sensing: what it is and what it is used for In the scientific field, the images produced by…
-
12 April 2019 / Earth
Easter with extinct friends
Easter Island is shaped like a triangle with three extinct volcanoes placed at the vertices, and has a total area…
from the Multimedia section
curiosities
-
Laterite and bauxite deposits
These deposits can be observed in those tropical areas that are characterized by...
And in underground tunnels?
There are groups of terrestrial animals that eat insects, worms and other invertebrates...
What about the permafrost?
In Sub Arctic Swedish regions, some scientists studied the changes of permafrost...
-
The most populated cities in the world
In the last 50 years the world population has passed from 2.5 billion to 6 billion...
-
Mountains on the Earth
The different landscapes that we analysed in the previous section are distributed...
-
Laterite and bauxite deposits
These deposits can be observed in those tropical areas that are characterized by...
And in underground tunnels?
There are groups of terrestrial animals that eat insects, worms and other invertebrates...
-
What about the permafrost?
In Sub Arctic Swedish regions, some scientists studied the changes of permafrost...
-
The most populated cities in the world
In the last 50 years the world population has passed from 2.5 billion to 6 billion...
-
Mountains on the Earth
The different landscapes that we analysed in the previous section are distributed...
-
Laterite and bauxite deposits
These deposits can be observed in those tropical areas that are characterized by...
-
And in underground tunnels?
There are groups of terrestrial animals that eat insects, worms and other invertebrates...
-
What about the permafrost?
In Sub Arctic Swedish regions, some scientists studied the changes of permafrost...
-
The most populated cities in the world
In the last 50 years the world population has passed from 2.5 billion to 6 billion...
-
Mountains on the Earth
The different landscapes that we analysed in the previous section are distributed...