Regolith (
Greek: "blanket rock") is a layer of loose,
heterogeneous material covering solid
rock. Regolith is present on
Earth, the
Moon, some
asteroids, and other
planets. The term was first defined by George P. Merrill in 1897 who stated, "In places this covering is made up of material originating through rock-weathering or plant growth in situ. In other instances it is of fragmental and more or less decomposed matter drifted by wind, water or ice from other sources. This entire mantle of unconsolidated material, whatever its nature or origin, it is proposed to call the regolith."
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The unconsolidated material that covers almost all of the Earth's land surface and is composed of soil, sediment, and fragments from the bedrock beneath it.