5.0 Soil

Soil is a mixture of rock fragments, minerals and organic material (dead material and waste products) o When organic matter decomposes it is called humus and gives soil a nice black color Soil is made up of different proportions of clay, silt and sand giving specific charactericstics

Soil Zones Brown- limited moisture and organic matter o Typically grassland Dark Brown- more moisture, cool temperatures, more organic matter o Typically grassland with some bushes Black- more moisture, cooler climate, lots of organic matter o Some grassland but also trees are growing Dark Grey- lots of moisture, cooler climate, little organic matter, sandy soil o Forests Grey- very cool, lots of moisture, may be frozen, very little organic matter o Forests

Research Research (in a group) about the following topic. You will teach it to the rest of the class o 1. Explain how soil is formed. o 2. Describe weathering soil. o 3. Describe how climate, plants and animals affect soil formation. o 4. Explain how slope and draining affects soil formation.

Make a power point or another way to teach the class about your topic on soil formation- remember that students will need to take notes for their notes As a group come up with some ‘test questions’ that could be used by your teacher on an exam