Parent Material

In soil science, parent material is the underlying geological material (generally bedrock or a superficial or drift deposit) in which soil horizons form. Soils typically inherit a great deal of structure and minerals from their parent material, and, as such, are often classified based upon their contents of consolidated or unconsolidated mineral material that has undergone some degree of physical or chemical weathering and the mode by which the materials were most recently transported.

Read more about Parent Material:  Consolidated, Unconsolidated, Climate and Weathering

Famous quotes containing the words parent and/or material:

    Being a parent is unlike any previous job—the results of any one action are not clearly visible for a long time, if at all.
    —Anonymous Mother. As quoted in Between Generations by Ellen Galinsky, ch. 2 (1981)

    Our life on earth is, and ought to be, material and carnal. But we have not yet learned to manage our materialism and carnality properly; they are still entangled with the desire for ownership.
    —E.M. (Edward Morgan)