11/10 Soil Formation and Erosion AP

Last updated 12 months ago

30 questions

1

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11/10 Soil Formation and Erosion AP

Last updated 12 months ago

30 questions

Go HERE for question 1-2.

1

Draggable item		Corresponding Item

Go HERE for questions 3-9

1

Go HERE for questions 10-14

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

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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.

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

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

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

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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.

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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

Go HERE for question 1-2.

How many types of soil are there in the US?

1

7

5

3

Match the type with its description

Draggable item		Corresponding Item
Clay		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.
Saline Soil		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.
Silty		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
Sandy		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
Peaty		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

What factors make up ClORPT?

How does climate affect soil formation?

High temperature speeds up decomposition and speeds up chemical reactions that break down or weather rocks

Climate does not affect soil formation

High temperature slows down decomposition and speeds up chemical reactions that break down or weather rocks

How do organisms affect soil formation?

Organisms like dogs dig up the soil and mix up the minerals

Organisms use their breath to cause wind erosion

Burrowing animals, plant roots, and bacteria/fungi chemical alter and physically mix soils

What is relief?

The topography or slope and direction a landscape faces

The latitude of the location of the rock

The altitude of the highest point of the rock

How does relief affect soil formation?

The location impacts how the sunlight breaks down the rock

The height of the location impacts the amount of rain and wind erosion that occur

It influences the sunlight hours, temperature, water runoff, erosion, and organic matter build up

Where can the parent material for a soil come from?

All comes from underground

All comes from living organisms

All comes from wind or air

Can be the underlying bedrock or carried in through erosion

How can time affect soils?

All soil is the same age so it is weather the same amount

Younger soils are more weathered than older soils

Older soils are more weathered than younger soils

Go HERE for questions 10-14

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

What types of material makes up the O Horizon?

It contains clay and mineral deposits (like iron, aluminum oxides, and calcium carbonate) that it receives from layers above it when mineralized water drips from the soil above.

It is made up of humus (decomposed organic matter) mixed with mineral particles.

It consists of slightly broken-up bedrock. Plant roots do not penetrate into this layer; very little organic material is found in this layer

Made up mostly of leaf litter and humus (decomposed organic matter)

How is the A Horizon different from the O?

It is unweathered rock (bedrock)

It consists of slightly broken-up bedrock

It is a mix of both clay and mineral deposits

It is a mix of both humus (decomposed organic matter) and mineral particles

What is the common process occurring the in B Horizon?

Erosion of exposed soil from wind and rain

Leaching of minerals from above layers as water percolates through the soil

Breaking up of rock from earthquakes

How are the C & R Horizons related?

They are both primarily bedrock, although C is broken up and R is solid

They are both primarily humus (decomposed organic matter)

They are both primarily minerals that leached from above layers

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.

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

It is a solid piece like bedrock

It is easily broken up to represent the crubled parent material

It represents humus (decomposed organic matter)

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?

Partial

Physical

Chemical

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

How do the crumbled cookies represent horizon C?

It represents humus (decomposed organic matter)

It is a solid piece like bedrock

It is easily broken up to represent the crubled parent material

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

Horizon B is also known as

Parent material

Topsoil

Humus (decomposed organic matter)

Subsoil

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

Horizon A is also known as

Topsoil

Parent material

Subsoil

Humus (decomposed organic matter)

What does the twizzler represent?

Parent material

Subsoil

Living organisms

Humus (decomposed organic matter)

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.

The decomposed litter will become

Parent material

Humus (decomposed organic matter)

Subsoil

Topsoil

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? 

Which river is doing more erosion?

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?

Concrete

More soil

Vegetation

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?

Concrete

Vegetation

More soil

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?

Erosion is the same for all water

More erosion by slow flowing rivers

More erosion by fast flowing rivers

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?

They erode soil evenly

They erode soil unevenly as they meander along the surface

The flow speeds up as the water meets level ground

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))?

Less erosion from growing agricultural fields and reforestation

More erosion from runoff of clear-cut forests, agricultural fields, or construction

Turbity is not a good measure of water quality

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?

High Turbidity = High Sunlight

Low Turbidity = Low Sunlight

High Turbidity = Low Sunlight

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?

A - High Turbitity B - Low Turbidity C - Low Turbidity

A - Low Turbitity B - High Turbidity C - Low Turbidity

A - High Turbitity B - High Turbidity C - High Turbidity

A - High Turbitity B - Low Turbidity C - High Turbidity

How many types of soil are there in the US?

1

7

5

3

Match the type with its description

Clay

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.

Saline Soil

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.

Silty

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

Sandy

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

Peaty

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.

What factors make up ClORPT?

Climate

Parent material

Atmosphere

Organisms

Solar Radiation

Time

Relief

How does climate affect soil formation?

High temperature speeds up decomposition and speeds up chemical reactions that break down or weather rocks

Climate does not affect soil formation

High temperature slows down decomposition and speeds up chemical reactions that break down or weather rocks

How do organisms affect soil formation?

Organisms like dogs dig up the soil and mix up the minerals

Organisms use their breath to cause wind erosion

Burrowing animals, plant roots, and bacteria/fungi chemical alter and physically mix soils

What is relief?

The topography or slope and direction a landscape faces

The latitude of the location of the rock

The altitude of the highest point of the rock

How does relief affect soil formation?

The location impacts how the sunlight breaks down the rock

The height of the location impacts the amount of rain and wind erosion that occur

It influences the sunlight hours, temperature, water runoff, erosion, and organic matter build up

Where can the parent material for a soil come from?

All comes from underground

All comes from living organisms

All comes from wind or air

Can be the underlying bedrock or carried in through erosion

How can time affect soils?

All soil is the same age so it is weather the same amount

Younger soils are more weathered than older soils

Older soils are more weathered than younger soils

What types of material makes up the O Horizon?

It contains clay and mineral deposits (like iron, aluminum oxides, and calcium carbonate) that it receives from layers above it when mineralized water drips from the soil above.

It is made up of humus (decomposed organic matter) mixed with mineral particles.

It consists of slightly broken-up bedrock. Plant roots do not penetrate into this layer; very little organic material is found in this layer

Made up mostly of leaf litter and humus (decomposed organic matter)

How is the A Horizon different from the O?

It is unweathered rock (bedrock)

It consists of slightly broken-up bedrock

It is a mix of both clay and mineral deposits

It is a mix of both humus (decomposed organic matter) and mineral particles

What is the common process occurring the in B Horizon?

Erosion of exposed soil from wind and rain

Leaching of minerals from above layers as water percolates through the soil

Breaking up of rock from earthquakes

How are the C & R Horizons related?

They are both primarily bedrock, although C is broken up and R is solid

They are both primarily humus (decomposed organic matter)

They are both primarily minerals that leached from above layers

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

It is a solid piece like bedrock

It is easily broken up to represent the crubled parent material

It represents humus (decomposed organic matter)

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?

Partial

Physical

Chemical

How do the crumbled cookies represent horizon C?

It represents humus (decomposed organic matter)

It is a solid piece like bedrock

It is easily broken up to represent the crubled parent material

Horizon B is also known as

Parent material

Topsoil

Humus (decomposed organic matter)

Subsoil

Horizon A is also known as

Topsoil

Parent material

Subsoil

Humus (decomposed organic matter)

What does the twizzler represent?

Parent material

Subsoil

Living organisms

Humus (decomposed organic matter)

The decomposed litter will become

Parent material

Humus (decomposed organic matter)

Subsoil

Topsoil

Which river is doing more erosion?

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?

Concrete

More soil

Vegetation

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?

Concrete

Vegetation

More soil

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?

Erosion is the same for all water

More erosion by slow flowing rivers

More erosion by fast flowing rivers

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?

They erode soil evenly

They erode soil unevenly as they meander along the surface

The flow speeds up as the water meets level ground

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))?

Less erosion from growing agricultural fields and reforestation

More erosion from runoff of clear-cut forests, agricultural fields, or construction

Turbity is not a good measure of water quality

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?

High Turbidity = High Sunlight

Low Turbidity = Low Sunlight

High Turbidity = Low Sunlight

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?

A - High Turbitity B - Low Turbidity C - Low Turbidity

A - Low Turbitity B - High Turbidity C - Low Turbidity

A - High Turbitity B - High Turbidity C - High Turbidity

A - High Turbitity B - Low Turbidity C - High Turbidity

11/10 Soil Formation and Erosion AP

11/10 Soil Formation and Erosion AP

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

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?

How many types of soil are there in the US?

Match the type with its description

What factors make up ClORPT?

How does climate affect soil formation?

How do organisms affect soil formation?

What is relief?

How does relief affect soil formation?

Where can the parent material for a soil come from?

How can time affect soils?

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

What types of material makes up the O Horizon?

How is the A Horizon different from the O?

What is the common process occurring the in B Horizon?

How are the C & R Horizons related?

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

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?

How do the crumbled cookies represent horizon C?

Horizon B is also known as

Horizon A is also known as

What does the twizzler represent?

The decomposed litter will become

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?

Which river is doing more erosion?

Erosion by Runoff

Erosion by StreamsStreams 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?

Erosion by Streams

Erosion and Water Speed

Erosion in the Mountains

Erosion by Slow-Flowing Rivers

Erosion by Runoff

Erosion by Streams

Erosion and Water Speed

Erosion in the Mountains

Erosion by Slow-Flowing Rivers

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?

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?