Soil Flashcards
What are the 5 main things in soil?
Water, mineral matter, air, humus, living organisims
What percentage is mineral matter in soil
45%
What percentage is water in soil
25%
What percentage is air in soil
25%
What percentage is humus/living organisms in soil
4% humus
1% living organisims
What is mineral matter made of?
rock particles, sand, silt, and clay
What is soil?
Soil is a loose material on the earths surface
What are living organisms and what do they do?
Snails, worms, break down soil, bind soil and create little tunnels of air throughout soil
What is humus and what does it provide?
Dead organic matter which is broken down and mixed into soil. It provides important nutrients.
In what different ways is soil formed/helped to form?
climate, parent material, vegetation, living organisims, time, landscape.
is soil renewable or non renewable
Non renewable in our lifetime
What are the 5 layers of soil
Top layer: Litter layer
2nd layer: A horizon/ topsoil
3rd layer: B horizon/ subsoil
4th layer: C horizon
5th layer: Bedrock
What is leaching
Washes the nutrients out of soil
What is hardpan
minerals such as clay+iron cement together to form hardpan
What does healthy soil do?
Produces crops, healthy animals grow, filters water, stores carbon, supports living organisims
What is monoculture
When the same crop continiously being used in the same land. The land eventually tires of this
What is desertification and give an example
When soil is damaged or overused it can become infertile EG: Desert Sahal
What is soil conservation?
Is the prevention of loss of soil from erosion
What is sustainable agriculture
correctly managing the amount of food, timber and crops required
What are the different types of soil in ireland
Brown earth soils
podzol soils
Gley soils
peaty soiks
