The Dirt on Soil


Feb 21, 2014 (4 years and 4 months ago)


The Dirt on Soil


Be able to define: Soil, Pedon

Be familiar with the characteristics that
enable scientists to “classify soil types”

Recognize how soil influences the
chemical, biological, and physical
components of the ecosystem


Define erosion and sedimentation

Explain how marshy soils differ from
terrestrial soils

What is Soil?

How are soils differentiated?

Soil Properties

Porosity: measure of the space between soil
components. Particle size influences

Permeability: measure of how easy it is for
water or some other component to flow
through a soil

Moisture Storage: how much water is
retained in a soil.

How does soil influence the

Chemical component

Binds nutrients

Houses microbes that convert

Biology: Bacteria

Biology: Fungi, Invertebrates

Erosion and Sedimentation

Erosion is the movement of soil from its
point of origin

Sedimentation is the filling of an area with
eroded soil

Both are influenced by Rain and Wind

Both can be accelerated due to loss of cover