Name: Noreen Mitzi L.

Lopez Rating:
Laboratory Schedule: TTH 10:00am – 1:00pm Date Performed:09/20/20

EXERCISE 4: SUBSTRATE ANALYSIS

A. SOIL PROFILE:
Table 3-A. Soil horizons with corresponding color and description:
HORIZON COLOR DESCRIPTION

HORIZON - O Humus has a (Humus or organic) mostly

characteristic black or dark
brown colour and is organic
due to an accumulation of
organic carbon
organic matter such as
decamping leaves. The Horizon
O is thin soils (some), thick in
others, and not present to all
others soil.

HORIZON – A Topsoil is usually darker than
the lower layers or horizons.
soil colour is usually due to 3
pigments: black from organic
matter, red from iron and
aluminium oxides.
(Top soil) where it has the
highest application of organic
matter and microorganisms
and where the earths biological
soil activity occurs.

HORIZON – B Subsoil colours are classified as (Subsoil) layer of soil that

bright, dull, or mottle colour. under the topsoil on the
Bright-colour is surface of the ground which is
characteristically brown, rich in minerals but much
reddish brown, or yellowish lower in percentage of organic
brown. Good drainage of matter and organic soils.
subsoil is a bright colour. This is
because the iron found in
the soil has been oxidized.
HORIZON – C
Parent material soil comes in (Parent material soil) in where
different colours or different the Earth’s surface the soil
shades. But most of the shades develop.
of horizon c are black, red,
brown, gray and white.

HORIZON – R Usually in bright colours, (Bedrock) a bulk of rock such

Sandstone bedrock may be
colour orange, while granite
bedrock may be purple
as the granite, basalt, quartzite,
limestone or sandstone that
forms in the parent material
soil. It underlies sand and other
sediments on the ocean floor.

B. SOIL FRACTION:
 SOIL STANDING WATER RUNNING WATER
VOL (ml) % VOL (ml) %
SAND 1000 ml 400% 450 ml 180%
SILT 440 ml 176% 400 ml 160%
CLAY 440 ml 176% 390 ml 156%
TOTAL: 1,880 ml 625% 1240 ml 496%
Table 3-B. Soil fraction of both standing and running water:

GUIDE QUESTIONS:
1. What factor(s) might be responsible for the difference in the soil
horizons of different habitats?

 According to some of scientist they stated there that there are five factors that
responsible in soil horizon. These are the Parent Material, Climate change,
Organisms, topography and time. For Parent material these material may be
relatively unchanged from when they are deposited by moving water, ice or
wind. Climate change temperature and moisture amounts cause different
patterns of weathering and leaching. The amount of intensity , timing and kind
of precipitation may affect the soil formation. Topography may affect also the
moisture and temperature of soil. And lastly, the organism because plants,
animals, microorganisms and humans affect the soil formation.

2. Describe briefly the scientific principle applied in the hydrometer technique.

 Hydrometers function based on Archimedes principle or the principle of
Floatation. Which it indicates the states of solid suspended in a fluid will be
buoyed up by a force equal to that of the weight of the fluid that is displaced.
So, a hydrometer sinks further into a liquid of low density than into one of high
density.

3. Connect soil to the overall phenomenon of ecological balance.

 Base on my observation, I can say that soil is the main source of our
environment in which seed grows and where organisms live. The combination
of plants to other plants and organisms to form as the ecosystem. Lack of
natural resources such as soil erosion, deforestation, Mining, and Industrial
and Atmospheric Pollution can have a big impact to our environment. This can
lead to unstable resources such as water, air and even poor growths of our
plants. It is very necessary for us humans to understand and always maintain
ecological balance in order to preserved, help to live more the organism and
avoiding the extinct of that particular organisms. As a individuals , I believed
that this is our responsibility to take care our environment especially because
this is very essential because it conserves clean water which we always drink or
everything that you can see and also it helps in controlling our climate
especially nowadays climate change is not too good. I’m leaving you a message
that we should always remember the do’s and don’ts for our environment.