1. Soil Image taken from: http://www.uvm.edu/~pss/

2. Where does soil come from? You know that weathering is the breakdown of rock into smaller and smaller pieces. This is how we get soil. You also know that erosion is the removal and transport of that material by wind, water and ice. Both weathering and erosion is what causes soil to form.

3. What is soil made of? Well…we just discussed that soil comes from weathered and eroded rocks and minerals. So soil is made of just that…rocks and minerals that have been broken down into small pieces But…there is more….

4. What is soil made of? (2) There is organic material that is also found in soil. Do you remember what “organic” means? Do a quick Google search for the phrase “organic matter”. What did you find? Image taken from: http://www.mulchmadnessinc.com/soil-amendments.php

5. What does soil form? Soils forms in what we call horizons. Horizons are layers on soil. There are three layers –Topsoil (A) –Sediment (B) –Bedrock (C) Image taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_horizon

6. Does location matter? Soil forms differently in different locations. Two reasons why –The parent rock found in that location. –The climate the soil is found. Turn to the person next to you and talk about the climate. Why would this be a factor in the type of soil? For example, do Nebraska and Florida have the same soil?

7. What makes soil important? Soil provides minerals and other nutrients for plants (Earth Science, Holt, p. 259). Do you remember how plants work? Where do they get their food from? Image taken from:http://www.bentleyorganic.com/soil-association/

8. What makes soil important (2)? Soil provides a place for animals to live (p. 259). What animals live in soil? Brainstorm a list of the animals with the person sitting next to you. Image taken from:http://hubpages.com/hub/Nocturnal-Soil-Animals

9. What makes soils important (3)? Soil is a storage house for…water. Water is vital to all life. When there is no soil the water will flow away (check out the parking lot next time it rains). Image taken from: http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/lemke/geog101/lectures/10_hydrologic_ cycle_water_budgets.html

10. What can I do? Prevent erosion!!! –Here is what I mean…be careful when you water your lawn and garden. Don’t over water areas that are missing grass. –Farmers have to be very careful in the ways that they plant, rotate crops, plow and terrace the land.

11. Reflection: Directions We did some soil coring ourselves. Answer the following questions: –Did our soil have three distinct layers? –Did it have more than three layers? –Was it physically easy to core the ground? –Does the topsoil soil look like it has nutrients in it? –Does the bottom look like it has rock in it?

12. Return to website Return to the website and spend a few minutes checking out the websites about soil.