Download Soil Characteristics

Soil Characteristics
Natural Resources II
Mr. Cole
Soil Characteristics

Terms we will discuss
 Soil
 Organic Matter
 Parent Material
 Loess Deposit
 Alluvial Deposit
Soil Characteristics

Terms we will discuss (continued)
 Marine Deposit
 Weathering
 Original Tissue
 Humus
 Soil Horizons
Soil Characteristics

Soil
 Layer of natural materials that is capable
of supporting plant life
 Made up of…
 Inorganic and organic materials
 Water
 Air
Soil Characteristics

Organic Matter
 Made up of both dead plant and animal
materials.
 Amount varies from one soils type to
another.
Soil Characteristics

Why is organic matter important?
 It helps to serve as a cementing agent to
keep the soil in place.
 It returns plant nutrients to the soil.
 It helps store soil moisture.
 It makes soil more tillable.
 It provides food for soil microorganisms.
Soil Characteristics
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Original Tissue
 Portion of organic matter that remains
recognizable.
 Examples: Twigs, leafs.
Soil Characteristics

Humus
 The organic matter that is decomposed to
the point where is it unrecognizable.
Soil Characteristics
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Parent Material
 Materials that underlie the soils and from which
the soil was formed.
 Five Categories
 Minerals and rocks
 Glacial Deposits
 Loess Deposits
 Alluvial and Marine deposits
Soil Characteristics

Loess Deposit
 Wind blown materials
Soil Characteristics
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Alluvial Deposit
 Deposits left by moving freshwater
Soil Characteristics

Marine Deposit
 Soils with sediments left by receding
ocean like water.
Soil Characteristics
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Weathering
 The process of breaking down rocks and
minerals through the actions of weather,
such as freezing/thawing or rain.
Soil Characteristics

Soil Horizons
 Classified by using
the letters O, A, B,
C to signify the
master horizons
Soil Characteristics
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Soil Horizons (continued)
 O- Organic Horizon
 Usually on surface
 Contains leaf litter and organic
material
 Color is dark due to the decomposition
occurring there.
Soil Characteristics
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Soil Horizons (Continued)
 A- Topsoil
 Various amounts of organic matter
 Most productive horizon
Soil Characteristics
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Soil Horizons (Continued)
 B- Subsoil
 Light colored
 More dense
Soil Characteristics
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Soil Horizons (Continued)
 C- Substratum
 Transition area between soil and parent
material.
Soil Characteristics

Soil Horizons (Continued)
 E Subsurface horizons that have
significant loss of minerals
 R- Rock
 Hard bedrock (not soil)