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soil resources

“Land, then, is not merely soil; it is a


fountain of energy flowing through a
circuit of soils, plants, and animals.”
— Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac, 1949
soil
a stratified mixture of regolith that includes sufficient organic
material, water and air to support plant life
regolith. rock and mineral fragments produced by
weathering
soil. T E X T U R E

inorganic portion. vary in particle size and proportion


determinants of some soil properties:
sandy or silty soil are permeable
loam. contains an almost equal combination of sand,
silt and clay
soil. C L A S S I F I C AT I O N
soil. A N E C O S Y S T E M
soil. F O R M AT I O N
FACTORS
climate
soil. F O R M AT I O N
FACTORS:
climate
more rain: more chemical reactions to weather minerals and rocks
more dissolved rock
more transported rock
more leaching (water moves down through the soil to dissolve ions)
higher temperature: more chemical reactions
plants and bacteria grow faster

tropical regions. thick soils arid regions. thin soils


soil. F O R M AT I O N

FACTORS:
rock type
Residual soils may form in place.
Transported soils may have been transported in.
soil. F O R M AT I O N

FACTORS:
biological activity
decomposers. breakdown the complex organic molecules
of plant matter and animal remains to form simpler inorganic
molecules (soluble in water)
humus. decayed remains of plant and animal life
soil. F O R M AT I O N

FACTORS:
slope
time
soil. H O R I Z O N S

residual soil formation.

1. The bedrock fractures because of mechanical weathering from ice


wedging or another physical process.
2. Water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide seep into the cracks to cause
chemical weathering.
3. Plants, such as lichens or grasses, become established and
produce biological weathering.
4. Weathered material collects until there is soil.
soil.
HORIZONS
soil. T Y P E S
soil. T Y P E S
pedAlFer. found in temperate regions.
very fertile, dark brown or black soil
soil. T Y P E S
pedoCal. form in drier, temperate areas
lower amounts of organic material and are less fertile
soil. T Y P E S
laterite. tropical rainforests
lower amounts of organic material and are less fertile
flood
flood
• a natural part of the hydrologic cycle
• precipitation falls more quickly than water can be absorbed into the
ground or carried away by rivers or streams
• build up gradually over a period of weeks, when a long period of
rainfall or snowmelt fills the ground with water and raises stream
levels
• may be affected by human activities: construction of impermeable
pavements
• flash floods. sudden and unexpected, taking place when very
intense rains fall over a very brief period
flood control and adaptation
• measurement of water level, volume and occurrence (recurrence
interval)
• construction of embankments (dams, floodwalls or levees)
• construction of floodways
• relocation
CON
flood effects
• damage to lives and properties
• economic instability

PRO
• deposit of new nutrient-rich sediments
• sediment transportation
wetland
wetland
land is covered by water, either salt, fresh or somewhere in between
marshes and ponds, the edge of a lake or ocean, the delta at the
mouth of a river, low-lying areas that frequently flood
wetland
conditions:
hydrologic condition. water is present in the land surface, or soils in the
root zone must be saturated during the growing season or longer
hydrophytic (water-tolerant) vegetation. plants grow under wet
conditions
hydric soil. poorly drained soil with anaerobic conditions
wetland
functions
• water quality improvement
• floodwater storage
• fish and wildlife habitat
• aesthetics
• biological productivity
wetland
wetland
wetland
wetland
wetland
wetland
wetland
wetland

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