Question

The active factors of soil formations are ____and \rule{1.5cm}{0.15mm}.

• A. Time and Relief
• B. Climate and Organisms
• C. Time and Organisms
• D. Parent materials and Organisms

Hint:

Active = Agents of Change (Rain, Sun, Life). Passive = Starting conditions (The Rock, The Slope). Without the "Active" agents, parent material would never turn into soil.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question asks to identify the "active" factors of soil formation (pedogenesis) based on Hans Jenny's (1941) state factor equation.
Key Formula or Approach:
Hans Jenny's equation is: \[ S = f(Cl, O, R, P, T) \] Where: - \(Cl\): Climate - \(O\): Organisms (Biota) - \(R\): Relief (Topography) - \(P\): Parent material - \(T\): Time

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:

• Active Factors: These are the factors that provide the energy and mass flux for the formation of soil. Climate (primarily temperature and precipitation) and Organisms (including vegetation, animals, and microbes) are the agents that act upon the land to change it into soil. They are the "drivers" of the process.

• Passive Factors: These are the factors that are acted upon or provide the setting for the process. Parent material (the raw rock/sediment) and Relief (the slope/elevation) are considered passive.

• Time: This is neither active nor passive but is the dimension over which the other factors operate. In some classifications, it is grouped with the passive factors.

• Therefore, Climate and Organisms are the two universally recognized active factors.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The active factors of soil formation are Climate and Organisms.