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** fine material covering the earth's surface composed of both mineral & organic material; dirt
** weathering provides the raw materials (parent material) for soil
formation & development |
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| the array of soil layers; their sequence from top (surface) to bottom (bedrock) |
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| a distinct layer of soil within the soil profile |
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-color: can give you an idea of minerals
-texture (clay, sand, silt)
-structure: how well water soaks through
-consistence (cohesion)
-porosity
-moisture |
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| on ongoing process of a renewable source, but not an inexhausible one |
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| elements of compounds with a crystalline structure; the building blocks of rocks; found in all soils |
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| the part originally from living matter; decaying mmatter of plants, animals, and their waste products |
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| fills spaces in the soil or forms a thin film around particles |
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| the type of rock and minerals the soil was formed from |
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| made from the underlying rock |
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| made from material not found in underlying rock |
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| if temperature and precipitation differ, will yield different soils, even from the same parent material |
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| decomposers, microorganisms, bateria, fungi, type of humus or organic material |
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| flat vs. steep slopes, windward versus leeward slopes; sun exposure; wetter=thicker; south is usually drier |
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| longer that a soil has to develop, generally the thicker it will be |
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grains of soil made by adding material to the soil already in place;
adding organic matter |
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| weathering of rock, minerals, & soil particles already present; physically or chemically changing them |
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| particles are carried out of an area and downward through soil by percolating water, to an area below |
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| deposition of particles in a lower area from an area above |
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| organic horizon, consisting entirely of organic material; by addition |
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| upper most layer developed from parent material; by transformation |
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| colored layer just below the 'A' horizon; by depletion |
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| created by translocation of particles from the 'A' & 'E' horizons above; this layer takes the most time to develop |
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| where the parent material is transformed by weathering into soil particles to become future soil; by transformation |
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| where solid rock (bedrock) is first affected by weather; mixture of large pieces of rock and future soil |
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the ‘A’ ‘E’ and ‘B’ layers
* sol: used as a suffix in soil classification |
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column of soil, extending from the ‘O’ horizon into the ‘C’horizon
* ped: naturally occuring clump of soil |
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| * size of the particles in the soil * an indication of the soils compactness & amount of pore space |
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a term used to describe a soil, similar to a clay or sand, but based on the
percent of sand, silt, & clay and NOT on particle size |
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sand= low field capacity
clay= high field capacity
* 4 basic Soil Structures: the type or arrangement of a soils’ peds; also plays a role in determining a soils field capacity |
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| layered peds, like flakes stacked horizontally |
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| straight sided, irregularly shaped peds |
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| small, rounded shaped peds |
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can be used to indicate the organic content and fertility of a soil, and/pr the type of minerals and elements that are in the soil
** ex: dark brown to black soils == high organic content
Red or orangish soils == high Fe and/or Al oxide content |
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| developed from volcanic ash |
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| dry soils found in most desert areas; salinization common |
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| grassland soils of high agricultural value, such as under the Great Plains (US); thick O horizon |
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| moderately weathered deciduous forest soils; moist, highly mineral-rich soils |
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| soils of coniferous (needle-leaf evergreen, pine) forests; highly acidic soils |
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| warm, wet climate soils with a high clay content in the B horizon, as found in the SE US |
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| tropical areas with high rainfall; rainforests; rich in FE and AL oxides; subject to laterization |
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cold & frozen soils subject to crytoturbation
(frost churning); found in high latitudes & elevations |
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