Soil Notes

QUIZ
Soil Notes
Mixture of rock mineral particles and organic
Matter weathering forms the rock and mineral
Of soil decayin organic matter humus in soil
Come from LIVING THING SUCH AS PLAN AND
Animals
soil layers are called horizons(aka aoil profile)
More mature soil has more horizons it take 1,000s of
years for the doil to mature home to a variety of living
thing such as burrowing animals snails worms
 Soil Layers

Mostly made of decaying leaves teigs and animals

remains/wastes this horizon contains the most living soil
organisms
 Soil Layers

Loose soil that is rich in organic materials needed by plants

includes humus nitrogen compounds
Best for growing plant because it has more nutrients
 Soil Layers

Rich in minerals such as iron and aluminum compound that are

washed down from the topsoil by rain contains humus and clay
 Soil Layers

Slightly broken up rock plant roots cannot penetrate this layer mostly
inorganic
 Soil Layers

Unweathered solid rock beneath all other layers

 Weathering

Smaller rocks come from larger rocks that were broken down by the

action of physical and chemical processes due to the process of

wethering

________________________.
 What is soil and where does it come from?
mineral

Soil is a loose mixture of small ________________ fragments,

organic water
_________________
vegetetion material, _________________, and air that can support

____________________ growth.
diffrent
All soils are _____________________ because they are made from weathered
rock
____________________ and the soil that forms depends on the _______________
Rock type
 What is soil and where does it come from?

The rock formation that is the source of mineral pieces in various samples of soil is
parent
known as _____________________ rock.

There is a layer of rock beneath soil and this is called

bedrock
_________________________. When this is the case, the bedrock is the parent rock
soil
because the ________________ above it formed from the bedrock below it.
 What is soil and where does it come from?

parent
Soil can also be residual if it remains above its _____________________ rock and it
tranportad
can also be _____________________ from one place to another by being blown

away, washed away due to wind or glaciers.

 Soil Properties

Some soils are great for

growing
____________________ plants while others

aren’t at all depending on the properties such

Texture
as soil’s _______________,
Structure
____________________, and
fertility
Soil Properties: Soil Texture and Structure

a) The proportion of different sized particles in soil determine the soil’s

texture
___________________.
diffrent-sized
Soil is made of __________________________ particles. The three main types
sand
of particles that make up soil are: _____________________,
silt clay
____________________. __________________
 Soil Properties: Soil Texture and Structure
loam
A good mixture of sand, silt, and clay make a soil known as __________ and this is

the best type of soil for growing plants and vegetation.

consistency
Soil texture can affect the soil’s _________________ which describes the soil’s
farming
ability to be worked and broken up for ______________. So soil textures that have
Hard difficult
large proportions of clay can be ___________ and _______________ for farmers to
 Soil Properties: Soil Texture and Structure
wind

Water and ________________ movement through soil is also influenced by soil

structure which is the different arrangements of soil particles. Soil particles are not

always ______evenly____________spread out and this arrangement of different

sized particles can either ______________ water flow or ______________ water

Block alow

flow. This can then affect soil ________mouisture_____________.

Soil Properties: Soil Texture and Structure

c) Soil texture and structure influence infiltration, or the ability of water to move
water
through soil. The best type of soil should allow _________________ to get to

the plants’ roots without causing the soil to be completely

saturated Permeability
____________________. This soil property is known as _______________

which is the measure of how easily water can travel through porous soil or

bedrock.
 Soil Properties: Soil Texture and Structure

Draw the diagram showing the permeability of different soils:

Soil Properties: Soil Texture and Structure

volume
d) Another soil property known as porosity is amount of space or __________

between solid particles that can fill up with water, air, etc. and shows us how
Retain
much can and can’t be _________________________ by that type of soil. Some
poruos
rocks and soil are very ___________________, where others have very little

space between the particles.

Soil Properties: Soil Texture and Structure

Draw the diagram of high porosity vs. low porosity showing the soil particle
differences. Be sure to label for studying.

Gravel

Sand
Soil Properties: Soil Texture and Structure

e) Soil fertility is another soil property that is important for plant growth. It’s the
nutrients
soil’s ability to hold _____________________ and supply nutrients to a plant.

Many nutrients in soil come from __________________ _________________

parent
and ____________________.
rock Humus
 Soil Properties: Soil Texture and Structure

Humus is __organic__________________ material formed in soil from the

__________decayed_____________ remains of plants and animals and these

remains are broken down by _______decompose_________________ such as

bacteria and fungi to then be used as nutrients.

Soil Properties: Soil Texture and Structure

layers humus
f) Soil Horizons are _________________ of soil with ___________________
rich sediment
_______________ soil on top, ____________________ below that, and
bedrock
_______________________ on the bottom. The top layer of soil is known as
topsoil
_____________________ and this layer has the greatest amount of
humus
________________ which is rich in nutrients for plants to grow and the main
farming
Soil Properties: Soil Texture and Structure
acidic basic
g) Soil pH is how _____________ or _____________ it is. The pH scale measures
0 14
this and the range is from _________ to ___________. The midpoint,
___________ is neutral. Soil that has a pH below 7 is _____________ and soil
acidic baci
that has a pH above 7 is _____________. A soil’s pH influences the
ntrient
________________ that dissolve in the soil depending on if it is more acidic or
basic. Different plants need different nutrients so the right __________ for a soil
ph
depends on what plants are growing in it.