It's just broken up rock (minerals) mixed with all types of organic material including living organisms.
So, if it's just broken up rocks, as there are all sorts of rocks and dead organic materials, there must be all sorts of dirts? Any classifications of the various dirts?
Are earthworms able to eat all these sort of dirts, or are there different earthworms who like different dirts?
Earthworms don't exactly eat the dirt. They do swallow and expel the mineral part but it's the organic material that they are after.
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No, to reach clay the worm has to go through very wet soil, and sometimes pure water. Clay creates a water proof surface underground, and water pools on it's surface, if a worm tries to burrow into the clay it will drown. Clay is also very hard for worms to move through, it's a rather dense and ductile substance.
I don't think dirt is even a proper classification, for me dirt is anything under my feet which is more or less loose. Dirt can have bits of clay and bits of sand, it really doesn’t matter. Soil is the proper word for it; there are many different layers of soil. In conversation there is a different between dirt and clay and sand, you wouldn’t say dirt if you are standing on a beach, and you wouldn’t say dirt if you were in a clay pit. Why do you care so much about dirt? clay is much more fun.
That's not totally accurate. For absolutely PURE clay, to a degree - but there are many very heavy clay-based soils all around the world and earthworms are very active in them. And clay isn't waterproof. It's true that it's far less permeable than sand but water certainly can and does penetrate it.
Clay is what we're talking about not soil, and no worms don't thrive in it at all, while clay is'nt perfectly water proof it certainly retains it very well, so the effect is the same. Worms don't thrive in clay.
Then you are speaking ONLY of pure clay which would contain NO organic matter at all. That's rarely found on the surface anywhere as it's normally a subsoil feature.
If you look under pines, for example, you find on the surface dead needles, maybe some mushroom. Clear away the 'top' and you find organic material that is more digested. There is no distinct boundary. There is a gradual spectrum from recently fallen organic thingies to soil that can serve as a nutrient base for root based plants. Dirt is many things. You could say we are mobile predirt. One layer above the fallen leaves or needles.