This type of soil also holds large amounts of iron in the ferrous form. Soil texture is created from both the parent material and the climate under which it forms. Texture is determined by the size and amount of particles of which it is composed. The main three classifications of texture are sand, silt and clay. Figure 1 Structure of soils comes from the aggregate composition.
Aggregates are clusters of particles of a variety of shapes and sizes.
They can form crumb like, granular, plate like, blocky or many other shapes. It is the aggregate composition that will determine whether the soil will be a good plant soil, leach its nutrients easily, or be virtually dry and sterile of organisms. Moisture in soils is determined by both structure and texture. A moderate amount of moisture is best to maintain a healthy soil filled with living organisms. When soil is dry, there are fewer organisms for decomposition and wind erosion increases.