Factors of Soil Formation - Parent Material

Parent material is the starting material from which soil develops and can include both consolidated rock and unconsolidated material. Mineral matter originating from rocks is referred to as ‘soil parent material,’ because it is the principal ingredient from which soils are formed. Unconsolidated material includes material deposited by gravity, wind, or water (Table 1) and consists of specific minerals of different sizes. However, the primary parent materials of organic soils are decomposing materials of various plant types.