Soils Webquest

SOILS WEBQUEST

Part A.  What makes up soil? (Link #1 - http://www.kidsgeo.com/geology-for-kids/0009-components-of-soil.php)

1. What are the components of a soil?

1. Organic materials, inorganic materials, air, and water.

1. Why would you NOT find soils on Mars or Venus?

1. There aren’t organic materials there.

1. Where do the minerals (inorganic materials) that form soil come from?  

1. They form as rocks are eroded by weather, wind, and rain.

1. How is the air found in soils different from the air in the atmosphere?

1. The air in soils is not exposed to moving air currents and is much more moist, or humid, than atmospheric air. It also tends to be very rich in carbon dioxide and poor in oxygen.

1. Why is water such an important component of soils?

1. Without water, soil formation would not be possible.

Part B.  Soil Formation (Link #2& #3 – http://agverra.com/blog/soil-types/ and http://forces.si.edu/soils/02_01_04.html )

1. About how many different kinds of soil are there in the United States?

1. Five kinds of soil

1. What does ClORPT stand for?  What factors make up ClORPT?

1. CLimate
2. Organisms
3. Relief
4. Parent materials
5. Time

1. How does climate affect soil formation?

1. Temperature controls the speed of chemical reactions that break down and weather rocks, controls precipitation to an extent that erodes soil.

1. How do organisms affect soils?

1. Burrowing animals, growing roots, enzyme-secreting bacteria, and other organisms chemically and physically alter the soil.

1. What is “relief” and how does it affect soil formation?

1. Relief is the topography, the slope, and the direction the soil faces. Influences the sunlight, temperature, water runoff, and erosion the soil is exposed to.

1. Where can the parent material for a soil come from?

1. Original, unweathered rock.
2. Bedrock
3. Sediments carried in from elsewhere by wind or water.

1. How can time affect soils?

1. Older soils weather quicker than younger ones.

1. Soils in the tropics tend to be older.

Part C.  Soil Structure (Link #4 – www.enchantedlearning.com/geology/soil/ 

1. Draw the  soil table. Then, fill in this table with the following Soil Horizons: A, B, C, E, O, R[pic 1]

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1. What types of material makes up the O Horizon?

1. Humus and leaf litter

1. How is the A Horizon different from the O?  What is elluviation and what causes it?

1. Eluviation is the transport of soil material from upper layers of soil to lower levels by downward precipitation of water across soil horizons.
2. Seeds germinate in the A Horizon

1. What is the common process occurring the in B Horizon?  Why do you think the B Horizon is sometimes called the “Zone of Accumulation”?

1. Contains clay and mineral deposits

1. How are the C & R Horizons related?

1. Both are made up of bedrock.

Part D. Properties of Soils (Link #5 –

http://www.soil-net.com/primary/ks2/topic6/topic6_factsheet.pdf

What are the four most important properties of soil?

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