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“The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.”

“The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.” --- Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America , 1977. Burial Pods Could Turn Cemeteries Into Forests. Soil: Weathered material on the earth’s surface that supports plant growth. COMPONENTS?. Mineral Particles.

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“The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.”

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  1. “The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.” --- Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America, 1977

  2. Burial Pods Could Turn Cemeteries Into Forests

  3. Soil: Weathered material on the earth’s surface that supports plant growth COMPONENTS?

  4. Mineral Particles • Originate from weathered rock • a.k.a. “regolith” • Elements: oxygen silicon / silica aluminum iron

  5. Organic Particles • Animal & vegetable material • Decaying leaves, stems, roots • Dead animals & microorganisms • “Humus”; blackstuff

  6. Air • Air spaces between particles

  7. H2O • Contains dissolved elements & minerals • Allows absorption of nourishments

  8. Living Organisms • Tiny bacteria, earthworms, bugs • Allow for aeration of soil • Produce movement of water and minerals • Creation of humus

  9. ‘It is a marvelous reflection that the whole expanse has passed, and will again pass, every few years through the bodies of worms. The plough is one of the most ancient and most valuable of man’s inventions; but long before he existed the land was in fact regularly ploughed, and still continues to be thus ploughed, by earthworms. It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world as these lowly organised creatures.’ Charles Darwin

  10. SOIL = parent material + climate + topography + plants/animals + time minerals organic parent material humus Air Water Organisms

  11. Factors Influencing Soil Formation 1. Formation of humus - Decay of dead vegetation; done by millions of micro-organisms (fungi, bacteria)

  12. Factors Influencing Soil Formation 2. Leaching • Soluble mineral & organic matter is transported/removed by rain water percolating through soil pores • Valuable nutrients get dissolved & carried away

  13. As if being stuck in Geography 12 for a year wasn’t bad enough, now John was beginning to leach.

  14. Factors Influencing Soil Formation 3. Translocation • Transportation of solid matter downward through soil • Eg. Percolating water carries finer particles of weathered rock downward to lower levels • Also done by animals (earthworms & burrowing creatures = pull humus of upper layers downward

  15. Factors Influencing Soil Formation 4. Capillary Movement • Movement of water upward through pore spaces • Must be drier at top levels of the soil • Common in desert & drought locations

  16. Factors Influencing Soil Formation • Soil Texture • Proportion of sand, silt & clay • Determines amount of water soil can hold • Sandy = good drainage (sometimes too good) easy to work; low organic matter, lacks nutrients • Clay= tightly packed, non-porous • Loamy = ideal for farming sand for drainage ` clay for water/nutrient retention

  17. Soil Profile: “Horizons” • Side profile of layers • Range in thickness and distinctness

  18. O -Surface litter: Freshly fallen leaves & organic debris, partially decomposed organic matter A-Topsoil: Humus, partially decomposed organic matter, some inorganic E-Zone of leaching: dissolved or suspended material moves downward B-Subsoil: Accumulation of iron, aluminum, clay leached downward C-Parent material: Partially broken down inorganic minerals R-Bedrock: Impenetrable layer

  19. Mature Well developed profile Climate is dominant control. Distinct horizons Immature Lack profile development No time or no erosion taking place Climate not a main control Parent material! Drainage! Eg. Bog soils = poor drainage Eg. Glacial parent material = fertility Regosol (alluvial deposition) Lithosol Mountain/talus slopes) Tundra (permafrost) Wet Pedalfers: - Podzol - Grey-Brown - Laterite Dry Pedocals: - Chernozems - Sierozem Bog soils/Alkaline Deep A Horizon (Humus) B Horizon of Clay Fertile if drained

  20. Be able to recognize and identify each of these soil profiles. Memorize a key, distinguishing feature for each one. WET - PEDALFERS DRY - PEDOCAL Coniferous Deciduous Prairie Grasslands Desert Tropical

  21. Podzol: “grayish sand, leached and ashy” Grey-Brown Podzol: “Gray-brown soil” Latosol: “Red” Chernozem: “Black or dark brown humus-filled loam” Sierozem: “Sand and pebbles”

  22. Be able to match each profile with a particular vegetation description, agricultural use, climate, or biome. Podzol: Coniferous forest / Boreal / Taiga Grey-Brown Podzol: Temperate Deciduous Forest Latosol: Tropical Rainforest Terra Rosa: Mediterranean Chernozem: Temperate Grasslands Sierozem: Hot Desert Permafrost/Azonal: Tundra

  23. Agricultural Value of Soils • Soluble mineral matter (nitrates, phosphates, potassium, lime) • Usable organic matter (humus) • grassland (best) deciduous (reasonably good) coniferous (poor) deserts (rich in minerals but no humus) • Texture: Loam is best, Sand Vs Clay • Depth: Igneous & Sedimentary = shallow Hot & wet are deeper than cold lands

  24. SOIL SAMPLES

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