Color
This color category includes dark brown, very dark brown, and black. (number)
What is Number 1
This soil feels very gritty and has little ability to form a ribbon
What is sand
You gently break apart a soil sample and notice it falls apart into loose, rounded crumbs that are easy to handle. This is this type of structure
What is granular?
As you look at a soil profile, the top mineral layer is noticeably darker because it contains more organic matter. This is most likely this horizon.
What is the A horizon?
While examining the soil, you see many small, distinct spots or streaks of different colors within the main soil color. These are called this.
What are mottles?
On the Oregon scorecard, red and reddish brown fall into this color category.
What is color 3
This soil feels smooth and floury when dry and has very little grittiness when rubbed between your fingers
What is silt?
When you break the soil, the peds look like small blocks with flat faces and sharp edges. This is this type of structure.
What is angular blocky?
You dig deeper and find a layer that is noticeably lighter in color than the dark surface above it and appears washed out. This is most likely this horizon.
What is the E horizon?
You rub the soil and notice shiny surfaces along some of the cracks or faces. These surfaces are evidence of this special feature.
What are slickensides?
Light brown, brown, and yellowish brown are examples of this color category
What is color 2
This soil feels sticky and plastic when wet and can be rolled into a long ribbon
What is clay?
You see soil peds that are taller than they are wide, with flat tops and sides that look like vertical columns. This is this type of structure.
What is prismatic?
You notice a subsurface layer with a stronger color and more clay accumulation than the layer above it. This is most likely this horizon.
What is the B horizon?
Your shovel hits a very hard, cemented layer. It feels extremely firm and is difficult to dig through because particles have been cemented together by silica. This is called this.
What is a duripan?
Dark gray, light gray, and white belong to this color category?
What is Color 4
You wet a soil sample and rub it between your fingers. It feels gritty but also has enough cohesion to form a weak ribbon. This texture is most likely this
What is sandy loam
You pick up a soil sample and notice it breaks into thin, flat pieces that stack or separate horizontally. This is this type of structure.
What is platy?
As you dig downward, you encounter a layer that looks more like the original weathered geologic material, with little evidence of soil development. This is most likely this horizon.
What is the C horizon?
ou try to dig through a layer and notice that it is very dense and brittle. It restricts roots and water, and pieces break apart rather than deforming easily when pressure is applied. This is called this
What is a fragipan?
This soil color often indicates a high accumulation of organic matter and is commonly associated with a surface horizon
What is dark/black soil color?
A sample feels smooth and slightly gritty, forms a moderate ribbon, and isn't extremely sticky or extremely sandy. This is the likely texture.
What is loam?
These soil peds are roughly cube-shaped, with faces that are generally flat and surfaces that intersect at nearly right angles
What is blocky structure?
This horizon is identified by a significant accumulation of materials such as clay, iron, or aluminum that have moved downward from horizons above.
What is the B horizon?
This special feature consists of a very dense, brittle layer that can restrict roots and water movement and commonly breaks into fragments with a characteristic brittle failure.
What is a fragipan?