The Nature of Soil

Fact Finders Use your textbook, pages , to fill in the blanks. 1._______ is a mixture of weathered rock, decayed organic matter, mineral fragments, water & air. 2. Soil formation is influenced by ___________, ___________, types of ________, types of __________ & length of ______ that rock has been weathering. 3.Clay, silt & sand are small particles of _________. 4.Decaying, dark-colored plant & animal material is called ________. 5.Small spaces between soil particles may be filled with _______ or _______.

Answers 1._Soil_ is a mixture of weathered rock, decayed organic matter, mineral fragments, water & air. 2. Soil formation is influenced by _climate_, _slope of land_, types of _rock_, types of _vegetation_ & length of _time_ that rock has been weathering. 3.Clay, silt & sand are small particles of _sediments_. 4.Decaying, dark-colored plant & animal material is called _humus_. 5.Small spaces between soil particles may be filled with _air_ or _water_.

6. Different layers of the soil are called _h____________. 7. The top layer is called Horizon ___ and may be covered with organic ________ that may turn into humus. 8. Horizon A is a fertile layer of soil with more _______ and less ________ and mineral particles than other soil horizons. 9. Horizon B, or the 2 nd layer of soil, contains less ______ & is lighter in color than the A horizon. 10. Minerals travel from A horizon to B horizon in a process called __________.

Answers 6. Different layers of the soil are called _horizons_. 7. The top layer is called Horizon A and may be covered with organic matter that may turn into humus. 8. Horizon A is a fertile layer of soil with more _humus_ and less _rock_ and mineral particles than other soil horizons. 9. Horizon B, or the 2 nd layer of soil, contains less organic matter & is lighter in color than the A horizon. 10. Minerals travel from A horizon to B horizon in a process called _leaching_.

11. Horizon C is the _______ layer of soil. It has very little ________ matter and is not strongly affected by leaching. 12. The C Horizon contains rock, the _______ material of the soil. 13. Glaciers can deposit soil that did not form from the ________ beneath it. 14. Different regions have different __________ that affect soil development.

Answers 11. Horizon C is the third layer of soil. It has very little organic matter and is not strongly affected by leaching. 12. The C Horizon contains rock, the parent material of the soil. 13. Glaciers can deposit soil that did not form from the ground/rock beneath it. 14. Different regions have different climates that affect soil development.

15. ______ rock affects soil formation & type of ______ that grows in a region. 16. _________ affects soil development because the longer the weathering has occurred, the less the soil resembles the parent rock. 17. Soil on steep ______ develops poorly.

Answers 15. Parent rock affects soil formation & type of vegetation that grows in a region. 16. Time affects soil development because the longer the weathering has occurred, the less the soil resembles the parent rock. 17. Soil on steep _slopes_ develops poorly.