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11/10 Soil Formation and Erosion AP

Last updated 7 months ago
30 questions
Go HERE for question 1-2.
1

How many types of soil are there in the US?

1

Match the type with its description

Draggable itemCorresponding Item
Silty
Largest particles among the different soil types. It’s dry and gritty to the touch, and because the particles have huge spaces between them, it can’t hold on to water.
Sandy
When moistened, it’s soapy slick. When you roll it between your fingers, dirt is left on your skin.
It retains water longer, but it can’t hold on to as much nutrients as you’d want it to though it’s fairly fertile. Due to its moisture-retentive quality, its cold and drains poorly.
Peaty
Smallest particles among the three so it has good water storage qualities. It’s sticky to the touch when wet, but smooth when dry.
Due to the tiny size of its particles and its tendency to settle together, little air passes through its spaces. Because it’s also slower to drain, it has a tighter hold on plant nutrients
Clay
Becomes heavily saturated with water, once drained, it turns into a good growing medium. In the summer though, it could be very dry and become a fire hazard. (I kid you not—it is the precursor of coal.) The most desirable quality of it, however, is in its ability to hold water in during the dry months and its capacity to protect the roots from damage during very wet month
Saline Soil
High salt content, it can cause damage to and stall plant growth, impede germination, and cause difficulties in irrigation.
The salinity is due to the buildup of soluble salts—high salt contents prevent water uptake by plants, leading to drought stress.
Go HERE for questions 3-9
1

What factors make up ClORPT?

1

How does climate affect soil formation?

1

How do organisms affect soil formation?

1

What is relief?

1

How does relief affect soil formation?

1

Where can the parent material for a soil come from?

1

How can time affect soils?

Go HERE for questions 10-14
1

Fill in the table with the correct soil horizons: A, B, C, E, O, R

1

What types of material makes up the O Horizon?

1

How is the A Horizon different from the O?

1

What is the common process occurring the in B Horizon?

1

How are the C & R Horizons related?


Step 1: Horizon R (Bedrock) – Oreo cookie in the bottom of the cup.
Edible Soil Lab
You need a clear cup

Step 1: Horizon R (Bedrock) – Oreo cookie in the bottom of the cup.
1

Why do you think we are using an Oreo to represent horizon R?

1

Bedrock is solid rock. Parent material is formed from the bedrock after a long weathering process. There are two basic ways that weathering can happen.

What are the two main types of weathering?

Step 2: Horizon C – Crumbled cookies as the next layer.
1

How do the crumbled cookies represent horizon C?

Step 3: Horizon B – Applesauce as the next layer.
1

Horizon B is also known as

Step 4: Horizon A – Chocolate pudding as the next layer. Add a twizzler to the pudding.
1

Horizon A is also known as

1

What does the twizzler represent?

Step 5: Litter – Sprinkles on the top.

The sprinkles represent the organic matter. This layer is usually less than an inch thick. Litter decomposes into nutrients that enrich the soil. In areas where the temperature is lower, the composition of organic matter is slower.
1

The decomposed litter will become

1

In the cup below draw what you see in your cup. Label both the actual soil layer or part and the edible representation of the part.

What's different about these landscapes?

Both of these rivers run through Yellowstone National Park. The Firehole River is a tributary of the Madison. In this photo, it's flowing over flat ground. The Yellowstone River on the right is cascading over Yellowstone Falls. Which river is doing more erosion? In what direction is the stream eroding?

1

Which river is doing more erosion?

1

Erosion by Runoff

When a lot of rain falls in a short period of time, much of the water is unable to soak into the ground. Instead, it runs over the land. Gravity causes the water to flow from higher to lower ground. As the runoff flows, it may pick up loose bits of soil and sand.

Runoff causes more erosion if the land is bare. Plants help hold the soil in place. The runoff water pictured below is brown because it eroded soil from a bare, sloping field.
What would stop erosion from an open field where soil is exposed?

1

Erosion by Streams

Streams erode sediment from their banks. They pick up and transport sediments.


What would stop erosion from the banks of a stream where soil is exposed?

1

Erosion and Water Speed

Erosion by a stream depends on the velocity of the water. Fast water erodes more material than slow water. Eventually, the water deposits the materials. As water slows, larger particles are deposited first. As the water slows even more, smaller particles are deposited.

Erosion in the Mountains

Streams often start in mountains, where the land is very steep. A mountain stream flows very quickly because of the steep slope. This causes a lot of erosion and very little deposition. The rapidly falling water digs down into the stream bed and makes it deeper. It carves a narrow, V-shaped channel.
Which of the following is more likely to occur?

1

Erosion by Slow-Flowing Rivers

Streams eventually run onto flatter ground. Rivers flowing over gentle slopes erode the sides of their channels more than the bottom. Large curves, called meanders, form because of erosion and deposition by the moving water. The curves are called meanders because they slowly “wander,” or meander, over the land. Below, you can see how this happens.

Which of the following is true about slow-flowing rivers?

1

Turbidity is a measure of the degree to which the water loses its transparency due to the presence of suspended particulates. The more total suspended solids in the water, the murkier it seems, and the higher the turbidity. Turbidity is considered as a good measure of the quality of water.
Which of the following causes higher turbidity (more particles in the water (cloudy))?

1

Turbidity (the increase of suspended solids (clarity)) of water has large impacts on the plants and animals that live in the body of water. Less sunlight can reach the organisms in the water if there is high turbidity.

What is the relationship between turbidity and sunlight reaching the bottom of a body of water?

1

Turbidity is measured with a Secchi Disc. The further down the scientist can read the disc, the lower the turbidity.

A scientist uses a Secchi Disc to determine the turbidity of several locations along a river. She takes water samples along a river upstream (before) a new construction site (A), just downstream (after) a new construction site (B), and several miles downstream from a new construction site (C).

What is the likely outcome of the water samples for their turbidity?