Topsoil

How it is used

Used in agriculture, soil conservation and construction. Topsoil is lost, washed away, eroded, or stripped before building work. Because it forms very slowly, losing it to erosion is a serious problem.

Example sentences

1. Heavy rain washed away the topsoil from the ploughed slopes.

2. The contractor stripped the topsoil and stored it for later use.

Common collocations

• loss of topsoil
• fertile topsoil
• strip the topsoil
• topsoil erosion

Related terms

• soilThe loose top layer of the land surface, made of weathered rock particles, organic matter, water and air, in which plants grow.
• soil horizonOne of the distinct layers in a soil profile, roughly parallel to the surface, that differs from the others in colour, texture or composition.
• humusThe dark, stable organic material in soil that forms when plant and animal remains decay. It holds water and nutrients and makes soil fertile.
• erosionThe removal of soil and rock fragments from one place and their transport to another by water, wind, ice or gravity.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• topsoil · Agriculture

More terms: Soil

• soil profile
• soil texture
• clay
• parent material