Download Types of Soil

Types of Soil
3rd Grade
Layers of Soil
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Soil is a very important resource.
◦ Soil is what plants grow in.
◦ Some animals live in soil.
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Soil is a mixture of many different things.
◦ Soil is made up of:
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water
Air
Humus
tiny pieces of rock.
Humus
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Humus is the part of soil that is made up
of parts of dead plants and animals.
◦ Example: When a tree loses a leaf, the leaf falls
to the ground. As the leaf breaks down into
smaller parts, it becomes humus.
◦ The soil close to the surface has a lot of
humus.
Soil Layers
Top Soil
The top layer is called topsoil.
 Topsoil has a lot of humus.
 Many small animals, such as ants and
earthworms, live in topsoil.
 Topsoil particles are dark and small.
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Subsoil
The layer underneath topsoil is called
subsoil.
 Subsoil does not have a lot of humus, but
it does have small rocks in it.
 Subsoil particles are larger and lighter in
color than topsoil particles.
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Bedrock
If you dig deep enough into soil, you will
reach solid rock.
 This solid rock is called bedrock.
 Most small rocks in soil come from the
bedrock underneath it.
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Different Types of Soil
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In the United States alone there are more
than 70,000 types of soil.
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Different colors
Hold more or less water
Size of rocks found in them
Different minerals make different soils
Sand
Soil with grains of
rock that you can see
with your eyes alone
 Sand is made up of
small grains of worndown rock.
 It has few nutrients.
 Sand doesn’t hold
water well.
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Silt
Soil with grains of
rock that are too
small to be seen with
your eyes alone.
 Silt is composed
(made up of) very
small broken pieces of
rock.
 Its particles are larger
than clay and smaller
than sand.

Clay
Soil with very very
tiny grains of rock
 Clay contains small
particles of soil that
hold water well and
provides nutrients.

Loam
Soil that is a mixture
of humus, sand, silt,
and clay
 Best type of soil for
growing fruits and
vegetables in.
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Importance of Soil
Bricks, pottery, and other items are made
from clay soil.
 Many animals would have no where to
live without soil.
 Plants would not be able to grow without
soil.
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