Determine the role of Time in soil formation

Time plays a very important role in the soil formation as it provides for the soil forming processes to act and cause significant changes in the parent material. Hard rocks require more time for weathering while soft rocks weather quite fast. Time also controls the degree of maturity of a soil body.  When the soil body has been acted upon by the soil formers for a comparatively longer period of time, and when the soil formation processes are more or less complete, it is known as mature soil.  In mature soil, the horizons are usually well developed.  In a young or immature soil which is still undergoing pedogenic processes, horizon differentiation is not well marked.  In course of time young soils become mature and mature soils sometimes get degra ded.