GEOL 340 Environmental Soil Science “Soils and Land Use”

ENVIRONMENTAL SOIL SCIENCE “SOILS AND LAND USE” Geology 340 Fall, 2017   Course Information: Instructors: Dr. L. Scott Eaton Office: Memorial 7305E E-mail: eatonls@jmu.edu Office Hours: M,W: 11:00-12:00, F: 12:15-13:25, or by appointment Meeting Times: Lecture: M,W: 10:10-11:00 Lab: F, 10:10-12:05 Meeting Location: Memorial 7115 (Lecture), 7130 (Lab) Course Web Site: http://csmgeo.csm.jmu.edu/geollab/eaton/web/eaton.htm Texts: Soils and Land Use, by W.C. Sherwood

  Grading Structure: % Exam #1 25 Exam #2 25 Exam #3 25 Laboratory and Field Work 22 Seminar Attendance and Write ups 3 Exam Dates (Tentative): Exam 1: Friday, October 6 Exam 2: Friday, November 17 Exam 3: Monday, December 11 @8:00 a.m. Overview of Grading: Each of the Reports and Tests will be announced at least one week prior to the due date. A ten-point grading scale will apply, i.e. 90-100=A; 80-89=B; etc. The three exams will cover a specific part of the course. Test questions will be drawn upon material covered in class, from assigned readings, from field trips, and from laboratory exercises. A standard format for the laboratory reports will be discussed in class. Students will work in teams in the laboratory, but data manipulation, interpretation, and report preparation is to be done individually. Assignments are expected to demonstrate professionalism, and to be completed on time Unexcused late laboratories and problem sets will be marked down 10 points per day and will not be accepted 5 days beyond due date.

I. Introduction A. What is Pedology I. Introduction A. What is Pedology? from Greek: pedon, "soil"; and logos, "study") is the study of soils in their natural environment “pedogenesis, soil morphology, and soil classification”

I. Introduction B. What is a Pedologist? A pedologist is someone who, by virtue of specialized higher education, training and experience with soils,is able to: Identify soils as natural units on the landscape, Differentiate soil types and landscape units, then document their location on aerial photographs or other suitable base map, Describe their characteristics and properties, and recognize their limitations for various land uses, and Promote their wise utilization.

I. Introduction C. What is Soil?

Introduction What is Soil? A. Pedologist: Earth material which has been so modified by physical, chemical, and biological agents so that it will support rooted plants.

I. What is Soil? A. Pedologist: Earth material which has been so modified by physical, chemical, and biological agents so that it will support rooted plants. B. Engineer: The layer of loose incoherent material of whatever origin that rest on hard bedrock; and can be excavated by conventional means without a need for systematic drilling and blasting.

What is Dirt?

What is Dirt? Older than dirt????!!!!

What is Dirt? “undesirable debris which may contain soil.”

II. Founding Fathers of Pedology “The Ole Worthies”

Edmund Ruffin

C.F. Marbut Vasily V. Dokuchaev

Hans Jenny Guy Smith

Peter Birkeland Karl Terzaghi Robert Ruhe

III. The Importance of Soil “Broad Trends and General Observations”