Different Kinds of Soil

SOIL

SOIL The GREAT INTERGRATOR

Home to organisms (plants, animals, and others) Medium for plant growth Waste Decomposers Snapshot of geological, climatic ,biological, and human history

Gas Exhanger

Growing Crops

Source material for construction, medicine , art, etc.

Inter mixer

Filter of water and wastes

Soil is an important Natural Resource. Therefore using SOIL CAREFULLY is very important !!!

Different Layers of SOIL

How Much Soil Is There?

Pretend that this apple is the planet Earth, round, beautiful, and full of good things. Notice its skin, hugging and protecting the surface. On this BLUE PLANET Water covers approximately 75% of the surface.

What is left (25%) represents the dry land. 50% of that dry land is in the polar regions, or deserts, or in remote mountainous regions where it is too hot/arid, or too cold and unapproachable to be useful.

 When 50% of inhospitable arid land is removed, this is what is left. (12.5% of the original) Of that 12.5%, 40% is severely limited by terrain, fertility or excessive rainfall. It is too rocky, steep, shallow, poor or too wet to support food production.

Cut that 40% portion away.

You are left with approximately 10% of the apple. Peel the skin from the tiny remaining sliver.

SOIL to Support Life

The 10% is a small fragment of land it represents the soil we depend on for the whole world's food supply. This fragment competes with all other needs like housing and urban development etc.

TOPSOIL EROSION

Soil Texture
The way a soil "feels" is called the soil texture. Soil texture depends on the amount of each size of particle in the soil. Sand, silt, and clay are names that describe the size of individual particles in the soil. Sand are the largest particles and they feel "gritty." Silt are medium sized, and they feel soft, silky or "floury." Clay are the smallest sized particles, and they feel "sticky" and they are hard to squeeze

LOAM made with ORGANIC MATTER

SAND feels gritty and has the largest particles

Hhello

SILT feels silky , soft, and floury

CLAY the smallest particles and it feels sticky . It dries up and cracks easily.

Relative Size Comparison of Soil Particles

Barrel
Plate

Coin

Sand (feels gritty) Clay (feels sticky)

Silt (feels floury)

Sandy soil

Sandy soil is pale in color with lots of small air gaps. Water drains through sandy soil easily the nutrients leach out from the large pore spaces between sand grains, so crops are generally not grown in sandy soils. It usually feels quite dry.

 Clay soil is a sticky soil with very few air gaps. Water does not drain through it easily. When it rains, puddles stay on top of clay soil for a long time. As wet clay dries it shrinks and cracks. Clay also becomes dense, hard, and brittle making it difficult for plant roots to grow through.

 LIFE LINE

SOIL COMPONENTS

List the four components of soil:

Soils are a mixture of : *tiny particles of rock, *dead plants and animals, *air *and water

Water In Soil
Water is one of the most important ingredients in any soil. Without water, soil formation would not be possible. Water enters soil through precipitation, such as rain and snow.

Classify the components of soil into organic (living) and inorganic (non-living).
Soil has the highest concentration of organic matter and microorganisms and plants generally concentrate their roots in it, and obtain most of their nutrients from this layer. Soil is also made up of an extensive variety of inorganic substances, minerals, and rocks.

Air In Soil
About half of soil is made of up vast cavities, or holes. These holes are filled with both air, and water. Soils with lots of sand have big spaces between the particles

What is humus?
Humus is constantly introduced into soil as plant debris, dead animals, and other organic matter that decomposes on the ground. Humus changes sterile dirt into fertile soil. Derived from organic matter of all kinds, humus is the life support system of soil. In short, humus brings soil to life.

Inorganic Materials In Soil

The inorganic materials found in soils account for about half of the total mass of most soil. These inorganic materials take the form of sand, silt, and clay, and are referred to commonly as dirt.

Classify the components of soil into organic (living) and inorganic (non-living).
Organic matter makes up only a small fraction of the soil, yet it is extremely important. This organic material is made up of living organisms such as plants and animals, dead plants and animals, and nutrients that have come from decomposed plants and animals.

Why is Silt (alluvial soil ) the ideal soil ?

Silt has the ability to hold water between particles and retains nutrients for plant use. Silt is an ideal soil for growing crops.

Describe what will happen to the mound dirt if it is exposed to rain, wind, and other weather.

Causes of SOIL EROSION