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Soil Photos
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Soil Concept Map

2. Photo 1 Photographer: NRCS National Resources Conservation Service: USDA Caption: Wind blown soil clogs a road ditch.

3. Photo 2 Photographer: Lynn Betts National Resources Conservation Service: USDA Caption: Sediment in the street of Des Moines, Iowa, after rains. This occurred because measures were not taken to protect the soil from erosion during development.

4. Photo 3 Photographer: Bruce Molnia US Geological Survey Caption: A solifluction lobe in Alaska. Solifluction is the slow downslope movement of waterlogged soil. A solifluction lobe is an isolated, tongue-shaped feature, formed by more rapid solifluction on certain sections of a slope showing variations in gradient. It commonly has a steep front and a relatively smooth upper surface

5. Photo 4 Caption: Salt marsh mud exposed on the beach face is a sure sign of island migration. Here at Capers Island, South Carolina, storm waves have pushed the sand from the beach back into the salt marsh, exposing the underlying salt marsh mud. In addition, the overwashed sand is starting to impede the flow of water in the gut.

6. Photo 6 Photographer: EPA Environmental Protection Agency Caption: Shoreline erosion along Lake Michigan. Here the beach crest, a temporary ridge or berm marking the landward limit of normal wave activity, indicates a rather calm day. Photo by Carole Y. Swinehart.

7. Photo 7 Photographer: Michael Collier Caption: The Paiute Point Sanddune is climbing out of the valley of the Little Colorado River and over the Adeii Eechii Cliffs near Cameron, Arizona. The progress of the two echo dunes on the left is halted by reverse wind eddies from the obstructions.

8. Photo 8 Photographer: Marli Miller University of Oregon Caption: Sand blowing off of a dune.

9. Photo 9 Photographer: Michael Fenton USGS Caption: These sand seas consist of large areas of wind-blown sand. In Saudi Arabia the most famous of these is the Ar Rub al Khali, the Empty Quarter.

10. Photo 10 Photographer: Bruce Molnia US Geological Survey Caption: Rain saturated soil and gravity created this landslide and debris flow near Seward, Alaska. Grading and steepening the roadcut during the construction of the road may have affected slope stability.

11. Photo 11 Photographer: Bruce Molnia US Geological Survey Caption: This landslide resulted from oversaturation of soil in California. The failure occured as a massive slab broke free from the wall and slid downward.

12. Photo 12 Photographer: T. Loynachan Iowa State University Caption: The muddy waters of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) in China shows it carrying a heavy sediment load coming from surrounding eroded lands. Photograph was included in Soils, Society, and the Environment, 2005.

13. Photo 13 Photographer: Marli Miller University of Oregon Caption: Solifluction lobes. Solifluction is the slow downslope movement of waterlogged soil. The rate is around .5 to 5 centimeters per year. This especially occurs in regions underlain by frozen ground, which acts as a barrier to water percolation. Solifluction is generally more rapid than soil creep.