Soil

Question 1

Name the 4 layers of soil

Answer 1

Humus
Topsoil
Subsoil
Parent rock/Bed rock

Question 2

Name 4 types of soils

Answer 2

Brown earth soil
Podzol soil
Grey soil
Peaty soil

Question 3

Tell me about brown earth soil

Answer 3

Most common in Ireland
Found in lowland areas
Even loads of sand and clay equal loom soil
Developed on boulder clay
Fertile
Deciduous forest developed on this oil producing plant which provides with humus and various leaching occurred, which is very good for agriculture

Question 4

Tell me about podzol soil

Answer 4

Configures forest developed on the soil
NOS common Ireland
Infertile and acidic
Loss of leading due to heavy rainfall
Cold and wet, very little earthworm activity
Found in potty trained areas such as county Galway and Cork

Question 5

Name the six factors of soil formation

Answer 5

• Climate
• Parent material
• Living organisms
• Landscape/relief
• Vegetation
• Time

Question 6

Define the term climate in relation to soil

Answer 6

Soil is broken down by weathering to form mineral matter depending on rainfall and temperature. Excess rainfall leads to leaching. Parent rock is broken down by chemical weathering this impacts types of vegetation.

Question 7

Define the term patent material

Answer 7

Type of rock broken down my weathering. These provide manners and nutrition forming stones and very fertile.

Question 8

Define the term living organisms in relation to soil

Answer 8

Bacteria, fungi breakdown plant litter in the O horizon. Earthworms break up soil when they die they add nutrition to the soil.

Question 9

Define the term landscape/relief in relation to soil

Answer 9

Upland Soils are thin because of mass movement and poorly drained. Low land soils are deeper rich in humus and fertile.

Question 10

Define the term vegetation in relation to soil

Answer 10

Create plant litter which breaks down humans. Areas with deciduous trees have more plants litter therefore more fertile soils.

Question 11

Define the term time in relation to soil

Answer 11

It can take up to four hundred years for one centimetre of soil to form because the process is so slow. As soil is a non-renewable resource

Question 12

Define the term loam

Answer 12

It is an even mixture of soil slit and clay. Soft and texture and they break up easily and are ideal for growing crops.

Question 13

Define the term mineral matter

Answer 13

Mineral matter (rock particles) is pieces of rock resulting from the processes of weathering and erosion. These particles contain minerals, which help plants to grow.

Question 14

Define the term air in relation to soil

Answer 14

Fills Space between particles and contains oxygen and nitrogen. Living organisms need it to survive.

Question 15

Define the term water in relation to soil

Answer 15

Help bind soil together. Minerals dissolved in water absorbed through the root of plants.

Question 16

What is humus?

Answer 16

Jelly substance – forms when plants and animals decay. Binds soil together providing nutrients that makes soil fertile.

Question 17

Define the term living organisms

Answer 17

It’s home to many living things which help breakdown organic matter forming humus also mixes soil earthworm

Question 18

What is a soil profile?

Answer 18

A soil profile is a cross-section of a different layer of soil. Each layer is called a horizon.

Question 19

Tell me about the O horizon

Answer 19

Home to organic plant matter and plant litter equal humus

Question 20

Tell me about the a horizon

Answer 20

Where organisms in live and is usually decorated in the other layers because it is the highest humus content. It’s very fertile.

Question 21

Tell me about the B horizon

Answer 21

Light and colour as less humus. It has more rocks and closer to the bedrock

Question 22

Tell me about the C horizon

Answer 22

Bedrock/parent material. Solid rock in the upper layer. It is made up of rock particles.

Question 23

Define the term natural vegetation

Answer 23

Natural vegetation refers to any plants or trees that grow on their own without any form of human interference

Question 24

What are the benefits of deep fertile soil?

Answer 24

Sensibility to support our wide range of meditation because I have high nutrition content

Question 25

Human impacts on soil

Answer 25

Over-cropping occurs when crops are continuously grown on the land. This means that nutrients are constantly being removed from the soil. The soil eventually loses its fertility and becomes exhausted. Soil should be given a chance to recover and regain its nutrients before more crops are planted. Monoculture is very common in poorer countries and results in soil becoming infertile Overgrazing occurs when vegetation is exposed to intensive grazing for long periods of time, or when too many cattle or sheep graze an area of land. Roots are destroyed and the soil is left bare and exposed to wind and rain. This causes soil erosion. Changing farming practices is the most important solution to desertification.

Question 26

Name a lahar you have studied

Answer 26

Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia

Question 27

What happened during this lahar

Answer 27

On the night of 13 November 1985, the volcano of Nevado del Ruiz in the Andes mountains erupted. The volcano had been dormant for 140 years. The hot ash and rock that erupted from the volcano melted the snow and ice on the mountain, creating lahars. These lahars rushed down the mountainside, picking up rock, soil and ash along the way. The lahars were up to 40 m deep and travelled at speeds of up to 50 kph. The town of Armero, located 74 km from the crater and at the foot of the mountain, lay directly in the path of a lahar. It took just two and a half hours to reach the town, and the people were not warned in time. Over 23,000 people were killed, and 85% of the town was washed away.

Question 28

What is leaching

Answer 28

When rain falls water passes through the soil, washing minerals, humus and nutrients from the A horizon down to the B horizon. This process is called leaching.