Soil 🌲

Question 1

Uses for soil

Answer 1

Agriculture, building, storing harmful greenhouse gas

Question 2

Composition of soil

Answer 2

45% mineral particles (sand, silt and clay -particles vary in size)
25% water (binds the soil together and dissolves any minerals and nutrients in the soil)
25% air (provides oxygen and nitrogen for plants)
5% organic matter and humus ( organic matter is made up of every living things like earthworms and beetles) (humus is a dark gel like materia, that increases soil fertility)

Question 3

Two things that impact soil forming

Answer 3

The facts that contribute to the formation of soil are climate and time

Slight changes to these factors will result in different types of soil forming

Question 4

How is soil formed

Answer 4

Millions of years ago the earth was covered in huge rocks and weathering helped break these rocks down into tiny mineral particles.

Topography-soil takes a long time to form (hundreds of years per cm of depth)

Question 5

Soil profile

Answer 5

A horizon

B horizon

C horizon

Question 6

Brown soil

Answer 6

-irelands most common soil type
-soil is brown
-found in areas where rainfall is limited
-fertile and excellent for farming
-found in midlands and south east

Question 7

Name two types of soils

Answer 7

Brown soil and podzol soil

Question 8

Leaching

Answer 8

the loss of water soluble plant nutrients from the soil due to rain

Question 9

Hard pan

Answer 9

a layer of hard soil cemented by almost insoluble materials

Question 10

What is soil?

Answer 10

The thin uppermost layer of the earth