Here's a breakdown:
* Regolith encompasses a variety of materials, including:
* Soil: A mixture of mineral particles, organic matter, air, and water.
* Rock fragments: Broken pieces of rocks of varying sizes.
* Dust: Very fine particles of rock and minerals.
* Organic material: Decomposed plant and animal matter.
Other terms you might see:
* Sediment: Loose material transported by water, wind, or ice. Regolith can be considered sediment, but not all sediments are regolith.
* Mantle: The layer of rock beneath the Earth's crust. This is not the same as regolith, which is a surface layer.
Let me know if you'd like to know more about regolith or any of these related terms!