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The study of soil is called ___.
A) geomorphology
B) pedology
C) hydrology
D) biogeography

Answer
VerifiedVerified
481.8k+ views
Hint: Organic materials, minerals, gases, liquids, and creatures make up soil, and they all work together to maintain life. The pedosphere, or Earth's soil body, serves four important functions: It is used as a growing medium for plants. as a method of water storage, supply, and purification

Complete answer:
Pedology is a branch of soil science that studies and characterises soil formation, evolution, and the theoretical frameworks that enable us to comprehend a soil body, typically in the context of the natural environment.
Let us look at the given options:
A) Geomorphology: This option is incorrect because geomorphology is the study of how physical, chemical and biological processes at or near the Earth's surface generate topographic and bathymetric characteristics.

B) Pedology: This is the correct answer. The scientific study of soils as natural phenomena, including their composition, distribution, and formation processes, is known as pedology.

C) Hydrology: This option is incorrect because hydrology is the scientific study of the flow, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and the long-term sustainability of natural watersheds. A hydrologist is a person who works in the field of hydrology.

D) Biogeography: This option is incorrect because the study of the distribution of organisms and ecosystems in geographic space and throughout geological time is known as biogeography. Organisms and biological communities frequently differ in predictable ways over geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, isolation, and habitat area.

Thus, the correct answer is Option B) pedology.

Note: Pedology is one of two major fields of soil science, the other being edaphology, which is more agronomically oriented and focuses on how soil characteristics impact plant communities. Pedologists pay close attention to soil shape and geographic distributions, as well as the positioning of soil bodies in broader temporal and spatial contexts, while researching the underlying phenomenology of soils, such as soil creation (aka pedogenesis).