Steep topographic gradients inhibit the development of soils because of erosion. Erosion can retard the development through the continued removal of surface sediments. Soil microclimate is also influenced by topography. In the Northern Hemisphere, south facing slopes tend to be warmer and drier than north facing slopes. This difference results in the soils of the two areas being different in terms of depth, texture, biological activity, and soil profile development.
Time influences the temporal consequences of all of the factors described above.
Many soil processes become steady state overtime when a soil reaches maturity. Pedogenic processes in young soils are usually under active modification through negative and positive feedback mechanisms in attempt to achieve equilibrium . A large number of processes are responsible for the formation of soils. However, at the macro-scale we can suggest that there are five main principal pedogenic processes acting on soils. These processes are laterization , podzolization , calcification , salinization , and gleization .