Soil Basics
What are the four main components of soil?
Inorganic materials, organic materials, water, air
What makes up organic matter?
Dead plant and animal materials
Which horizon is also called topsoil?
A horizon
What are the three main particle sizes in soil?
Sand, silt, clay
What tool is used to determine soil texture using percentages of sand, silt, and clay?
Soil texture triangle
What is soil capable of supporting?
Plant life
What is organic matter called when it’s fully decomposed?
Humus
Which horizon contains leaf litter and humus?
O Horizon (organic horizon)
Which type of soil feels gritty and is the largest particle?
Sand
What parts of sand, silt, and clay usually makes loam?
Equal to about equal parts of each
What term describes the breakdown of rocks into smaller particles?
Weathering
Give one reason organic matter is important.
Cementing agent, returns nutrients, holds moisture, tillable, food for microorganisms
Which horizon is characterized by leaching of minerals?
E horizon (eluviation layer)
Which soil retains water the longest and is the smallest particle?
Clay
What color is soil with high organic matter content?
Dark brown or black
What is the material that underlies soil and forms it over time?
Parent material
What is the recognizable portion of organic matter called?
Original Tissue
What horizon is made up of partially weathered rock?
C Horizon (weathered rock fragments)
Which soil type is smooth to the touch, fairly fertile, and the medium sized particle?
Silt
Name a soil texture on the triangle that is not just clay, silt, sand, or loam. (two words)
Sandy clay, silty clay, clay loam, silty clay loam, sandy clay loam, sandy loam, loamy sand, silt loam
What process moves soil and rock by wind or water?
Erosion
All organic matter was once _______.
Alive
Which horizon is not soil but solid rock?
R horizon (bedrock)
What soil is a mix of sand, silt, and clay and ideal for growing plants?
Loam
The amount of organic material __________ from soil to soil.
Varies