1. What is Soil?
How is it made?

2. Soil What is soil made of?
Animals help speed up the process of soil b/c they burrow and dig holes in the soil layers this allows the water and air to get in causing more weathering and more soil formation.

3. Types of Soil Residual Soil Transported Soil
Parent Material is the underlying bedrock
The soil was made in the area and will have the same composition of the solid bedrock
If the bedrock is made of granite and the soil has the same minerals as granite then the soil is residual.
Parent material is different from the underlying bedrock.
Soil was “transported” (moved) to the current location by agents of erosion (water, wind, ice)
The bedrock will have a different composition than the soil.

4. Find Ithaca on Your HANDY DANDY REFERENCE TABLES!!
If a boulder of garnet schist was found in Ithaca, NY what does this tell you?
Find Ithaca on Your HANDY DANDY REFERENCE TABLES!!
The boulder must be a part of transported soil b/c Ithaca’s bedrock is made mostly of shale, sandstone, and conglomerate.

5. How do Soil Horizons Form?
Horizon- layer with it’s own distinguishing characteristics
A full soil profile could take many years to form which is why it is not considered and renewable resource.
Thick soil layers are needed to create good farm land.
The thicker the horizon layers the more mature the soil profile is.

6. Soil Horizons O- layer: contains the recent organic material
A-Horizon – Topsoil
1st true layer of soil
Contains humus: decayed organic matter
Mixed weathered mineral particles.
Plant roots start their growth here.
B-Horizon – Subsoil
Clay and mineral deposits leached
from topsoil
C-Horizon – loose weathered bedrock (large cobbles and pebbles)
Bedrock – solid underlying rock layer.

7. Why is Soil Important?

8. Soil Erosion Removal of soil by water & wind.
Tilling the land to plant crops loosens the soil making it easier to erode.
Over use of soils dries them out making them susceptible to wind erosion.
Dry soils are easily blown away by winds

9. Soil Erosion a Problem for the Oceans too 
Rivers carry eroding soil to the oceans and deposit it, creating cloudy and dirty water.
The sedimentation of soils in the ocean hinders the ecosystem.

10. Soil Conservation Methods
1. Wind Breaks- trees planted around farm land help slow down the winds that would carry away the soil.

11. 2. Rotate Crops – since each type of crop requires specific nutrients, farmers could rotate the crops they plant to prevent over use of specific minerals in the soil.

12. 3. Terraced Farming – helps prevent water from running around steep slopes taking the crops and soil with it.