Types of soil

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Sandy Soils
Have a gritty texture being created by rock disintegration and weathering. As a mixture of limestone, granite, quartz, granite and shale is irregulary shaped, with large particles and generous air spaces.
Because water passes quite quickly through, it's exposed to over-drainage and plant dehydration. The worst thing is that the draining water also washes out the left nutrients from the soil. Usually, sandy soil contains cca. 70% sand, about 20% silt and aprox. 10% clay.
However, with enough organic compounds in it, sandy soil can be cultivated with special attention given to over-draining and plant dehydration. 
Another quality of this soil is that during spring time it warms faster than other types of soil.
Sandy soils can be found along river beds, near the mountain foothills and in certain coastal areas.
 
Silty Soil
It usually contains fine organic particles and minerals (mostly quartz), being considered a very fertile soil. This is because, comparatively to the sandy soil, it has more nutrients, but still keeping it's drainage at high levels due to its granular texture.
Furthermore, this type of soil - even when moist - is easy to work with and also doesn't give away moisture fast. 
Due to it's organic components, silty soil has a smoother texture than sandy soil and a dark sand color.
 
Clay Soil
Clay soil contains a high percentage of very fine clay particles leaving little space for air. As a consequence, clay soils are very compact, with poor drainage as it takes a long time for the water to sink in to the roots.
This type of soil is sticky when wet and very hard when it dries. More than half of it's composition (60%) consists in clay, the rest being sand (20%) and silt (20%). Due to the high nutrient levels of clay, clay soil can be cultivated, but only after the drainage issue has been addressed, by adding organic fertilizers.
  
Loamy Soil
Loamy soil is the perfect combination of sand (40%), silt (40%) and clay (20%) and therefore is considered the ideal choice for gardening, as it drains well but still retains water and is full of organic matter which contains rich nutrients for plants.
This type of soil has also high levels of organic matter provided by decaying plants and animals which creates a good environment for specific bacteria to transform nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients in accessible food for plants.
Loamy soils can be found in valleys and areas that surround river streams (flood plains).
 
Peaty Soil
Though peaty soil contains organic matter in larger amounts than other soils, it has a higher acidity which inhibits the process of decomposition. Therefore peaty soil contains fewer nutrients than other soils and is "tempted" to over-retain water.
This type of soil can be found in wet climates and can be cultivated if fertilized and drained well.
 
 Chalky Soil
The main characteristics of chalky soils are alkalinity and its tendency to block mineral elements as iron and magnesium so they are unavailable to plants.
They are usually light brown in color with large quantities of stones in it.
Because in the summer they dry out fast and block the nutrients mentioned above, the plants have a poor growth and yellowish leaves.
They are a poor choice for cultivation because the plants need constant watering and fertilization and also in higher amounts than other soils.