THE SOIL PROFILE

The 6 Soil Roles

A Soil’s role
includes:

erving as a foundation

mitting and absorbing gases

roviding habitat

nteracting with water

ecycling nutrients

upporting human settlements

The 5 Factors of Formation
Soil is
formed by…

arent Material: the original “Mom & Pop” soil transported from elsewhere, usually by
wind or water, at different speeds

limate: the amount, intensity, timing, and kind of precipitation that breaks down parts of
ecosystem (i.e. rocks, trees) into soil

opography: Slope and Aspect affect the angle of the land and position toward/away from
the sun that soil will be exposed to

iological: Plants, animals, microscopic organisms, and humans interact with soil in
different ways

ime: the amount of time it takes for the four factors (above) to interact with each other
 What is a Soil Profile?
Soil Profile is a vertical cross-section of layers of soil found in a
given area. Below are two examples of soil profiles.
 What is a Soil Horizon?
oil horizons are the layers in a soil profile used to classify soil
types.

orizons based on color, texture, roots, structure, rock

fragments, and any unique characteristic worth noting.

aster Soil Horizons are depicted by a capital letter in the order

(from top down): O, A, E, B, C, and R
 O-Horizon
T
he “Organic Matter” Horizon

urface-layer, at depths of 0-2 feet

ark in color, soft in texture

umus - rich organic material of plant and

animal origin in a stage of decomposition

eaf litter – leaves, needles, twigs, moss,

lichens that are not decomposing

everal O-layers can occur in some soils,

consisting only of O-horizons
 A-Horizon
Topsoil” or “Biomantle” Horizon

opmost layer of mineral soil, at depths

of 2-10 feet

ome humus present, darker in color

than layers below

iomantle - most biological productive

layer; earthworms, fungi, and bacteria
live this layer

mallest and finest soil particles

 E-Horizon
he “Leaching Layer” Horizon

mall layer between A & B horizons

t depths of 10-15 feet

ight in color, mainly sand & silt

oor mineral and clay content due to

leaching – the loss of water-retaining
plant nutrients to the water table

oil particles larger than in A horizon but

smaller than in B horizon
 B-Horizon
he “Subsoil” Horizon

t depths of 10-30 feet

ich in clay and minerals like Fe & Al

ome organic material may reach

here through leaching

lant roots can extend into this layer

ed/brown in color due to oxides of

Fe & clay
 C-Horizon
he “Regolith” Horizon

t depths of 30-48 feet

ade up of large rocks or lumps of

partially broken bedrock

east affected by weathering and

have changed the least since their
origin

evoid of organic matter due to it

being so far down in the soil profile
 R-Horizon
he “Bedrock” Horizon

t depths of 48+ feet

eepest soil horizon in the soil profile

o rocks or boulders, only a

continuous mass of bedrock

olors are those of the original rock

of the area
 How to Make a Soil Profile
Ingredients List Directions
-4 copies of Master Soil Horizons Worksheet
n large glass bowl, whisk 3.5 cups milk with 2 pkgs. vanilla
0 sticky notes per group (7 per person) Instant Jell-o pudding mix until smooth. Let stand 5
minutes.
-4 pairs of gloves

large glass bowl hile waiting, refer to your version of “The Soil Profile”
one-cup measuring cup
powerpoint to review order that horizons should be. You
have A, E, B, R, O, C, and vegetation as horizons. It’s up to
whisk you to order it!
spatula
fter 5 minutes, use spatula to scoop pudding in middle of
.5 cups skim milk bowl, allowing for the “dry ingredients” (the bags of
packages vanilla Instant Jell-o pudding mix
various crushed up cookies) to encircle the pudding along
the sides of the glass bowl. This creates a vertical cross-
tiny Ziploc bag Coconut w/green food coloring + raisins section of soil layers visible to you.
small Ziploc bag crushed chocolate graham crackers & frosting
se sticky notes to label each horizon on outside of bowl.
medium Ziploc bag Chocolate chip & Vanilla wafers & gummy worms

small Ziploc bag crushed Vanilla wafers only ill out Master Soil Horizons Worksheet using observations
of Soil Profile Dessert.
medium Ziploc bag crushed graham crackers

large Ziploc bag crushed Oreo cookies urn in worksheet to teacher. Only until you and your team
large Ziploc bag crushed chocolate chips
members turn in their worksheet can you enjoy the
delicious snack. You’re finished!