2. Soil Physical Geography

3. Great civilizations began because of farming... good soil and fresh water is needed for farming Ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian societies are great examples

4. Egyptian civilization grew up around the fertile Nile River and its Delta The Sahara Desert, which has poor sandy soil, doesn’t have very many people living there because the people can’t grow things in the soil. 90% of Egypt’s population lives with 20 km of the Nile River or its delta.

5. Toronto is Canada's economic, political and cultural powerhouse, it started as a farming centre 51% of Canada's good farmland can be seen from the top of the CN tower; most of it is paved or built on

6. Do We Really Need Soil? Let’s Dig Up the Facts!

7. Soil Contains the Minerals All Living Things Need!

8. We Use Soil to Grow Food!

9. Many Animals and Microscopic Creatures Live in the Soil!

10. Soil Helps Soak Up Rainwater So We Don’t Have Flooding!

11. Soil Soil is made up of 4 main parts: Minerals Organic and Bacterial materials Moisture Air Think -MOMA

12. Minerals Ex. calcium, phosphorus, potassium, etc.. Comes from parent material (usually rock) or loose material deposited from a glacier Minerals become part of the soil when rock is broken down by weathering

13. Organic and Bacterial Material Dead plants and animals are decomposed by bacteria in soil, nutrients are released to form humus Humus provides nutrients and moisture to plants and gives soil its dark colour.

14. What does Humus look like?

15. Moisture Water dissolves nutrients in soil allowing plants to take them up through their roots Water is also needed in the processes that weathers rock and decays organic material

16. Air Air in soil is created by high humus levels (loose, decaying material allows for many air pockets), worms, insects and small animals Plants need air around roots

17. Typical Soil Profile

18. SOIL PROFILE: A cross section of soil from the surface to the bedrock. O – organic material – dying material (plants and animals) – things in the process of breaking down A horizon – topsoil – rich in organic materials; takes hundreds of years to produce; thin layer B horizon – sub-soil; mainly inorganic material (broken up rock) with some organic material C horizon – parent material – broken pieces of rock and/or solid rock

19. O Horizon : Organic Material

20. What does Topsoil look like? A Horizon

21. What does Subsoil look like? B Horizon

22. What does the Parent Material look like? C Horizon

24. What happens if the soil is too wet? Leaching- the excess water dissolves nutrients and carries them away (downward), making it difficult for plant roots to reach nutrients Leached soil has poor, usually thin topsoil layer Much of Canada is covered with Wet-Climate soil

25. What if the soil is too dry? Calcification- there is an upward movement of water As water in the top soil evaporates, water from below is drawn up to replace it As water evaporates, it leaves behind minerals Topsoil is thick and rich in minerals If soil is very dry, the amount of minerals left can create a layer that is poisonous to plants

26. Types of Soil

27. Luvisolic Composed of broken down sedimentary rock High clay content Can be very wet

28. Podzolic Broken down igneous rock which turns to sand Sands provide more rapid drainage High mineral content

29. Brunisolic Broken down igneous rock which turns to sand Sand provides more rapid drainage High mineral content

30. Organic High amount of humus Sands provide more rapid drainage High mineral content

31. Chernozemic High amount of humus Sandy or clay base Moderate mineral content (mostly in the upper horizons) Typically dry at lower horizons

32. Vertisolic Heavy clay based soil High water retention Moderate mineral content (concentrated at the upper horizons) Can also dry out, crack and shift easily

33. Cryosolic Permafrost Very thin Can be saturated with water in the spring due to top layer thawing

34. SOIL REGIONS

36. Tundra Soils Type of Soil Luvisolic, Podzolic, Burnisolic, Cryosolic Main Characteristics Thin and poorly developed Issues allowing/preventing the development of the soil Permafrost- frozen ground inhibits plant growth/inhibits topsoil development

37. Wet Climate Type of Soil Luvisolic, Podzolic, Brunisolic, Organic Main Characteristics Thin leached soils across the Canadian Sheild Grey brown Podzolic Soil Issues allowing/preventing the development of the soil Needs additional fertilizer due to leaching

38. Dry Climate Type of Soil Vertisolic, Chernozemic, some Luvisolic Main Characteristics Sandy or clay based High water retention Issues allowing/preventing the development of the soil Limited by lack of rain

39. Complex Soils Type of Soil Luvisolic, Podzolic, Brunisolic Main Characteristics Varies on location Issues allowing/preventing the development of the soil Varies due to location