Difference between Sand and SoilEarth's surface is covered with soil and rocks. Sand is a type of soil so people often confuse sand with soil. Although sand is a type of soil, it is entirely different from the soil. Let us see how they differ from each other. Soil:The soil is a natural resource like air and water. It is primarily made up of three components that include minerals from the rocks, organic matter (remains of plants and animals) and living organisms that dwell in the soil. Thus, it is a complex mixture of minerals, water, air, organic matter and living organisms. The soil is formed at the Earth's surface so it is the skin of the Earth. It supports plant life and other forms of life on Earth, i.e. it is vital to life on Earth. Furthermore, it performs a number of vital functions in almost all types of ecosystems like a forest, marsh, prairie, suburban watershed etc. Some of the vital functions of soil are as follows:
Sand:Sand is a loose granular material commonly found on beaches, riverbeds and deserts. It can be of different colours like white, black, and green depending on the location. The sand is a mixture of small grains of rock that ranges from 0.0625 to 2 mm in size. The common ingredient of sand is silicon dioxide in the form of quartz. Sand is non-porous in nature and it does not hold water. It can be of different types like coral sand, glass sand and gypsum etc. Based on the above information, some of the key differences between sand and soil are as follows:
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