Soils

Question 1

What is Soil

Answer 1

Soil is the thin Uppermost layer of the Earth . it is an essential natural resource.

Question 2

What is soil used for

Answer 2

soil is used for building, farming, providing us with food and much more

Question 3

What is the composition of soil

Answer 3

Soil is composed of five main ingredients. These ingredients work together to make the soil fertile.

Question 4

Explain the steps of soil composition

Answer 4

Mineral particles:
are made up of sand silt and clay. Small sized particles pack more closely together and slow down the flow of water through the soil. The composition of soil effects it’s permeability
Water:
Water binds the soil together and dissolve minerals and nutrients in the soil. Plants soak this up in the roots
Air:
Pores in the soil provide the necessary oxygen and nitrogen for plants, and oxygen for the living organisms found in soil
Organic matter:
It is made of anything living found in the soil. As worms move through the soil they also help air and water to circulate through it. Plant litter turns into humus when they Decay.
Humus is a dark, gel-like material that increases soil fertility.
dead creatures also form humus, worms eat them and excrete them which fertilizes the soil. The darker the soil the more fertile it is.

Question 5

What is a soil profile

Answer 5

Is a vertical section of soil from its surface downwards

Question 6

Soil profiles explained

Answer 6

there are usually three Horizons in the soil profile. They vary in colour content and size.
Horizon a = top soil
It is usually darker than lower layers it has high humus content
Horizon B = subsoil
It is usually lighter in colour because it has less humus. It has more Stones than the Horizon a because it is closer to the parent layer and is protected from weathering
Horizon C
This consists of the parent rock of soil. The upper section may be broken down into rock particles but the lower section consists of solid bedrock

Question 7

What is leaching and explain how it affects soil formation

Answer 7

Leaching is when high amounts of water percolates down through the soil and washes important minerals and nutrients down the Horizon b.
Severe leaching is bad for soil.
It creates a hard pan when iron oxide minerals are washed from top soil particles. This turns into a thin crusty Layer that is impermearable to water

Question 8

What is Humification

Answer 8

Humification is the breaking down of plant litter by insects and the process of it changing from plant litter to humus, a black jelly-like substance that can tributes to soil fertility

Question 9

Brown soils

Answer 9

Brown Earth soils developed on the Boulder clay deposited after the last ice age.
These areas were formerly covered by deciduous Forest.
They was a plentiful supply of plant litter available.
This decayed rapidly to form humus giving the soil it’s dark brown colour.
Very little leaching takes place in these regions.
Brown Earth soils are fertile and area suited to a wide range of Farming types.
Ireland’s most common soil type

Question 10

Podzol soils

Answer 10

This soil type is found in Highland areas were more rainfall occurs.
It is grey in colour due to the presence of a hardpan which causes the a horizon to turn Grey. It is found in coniferous forested areas.
There is little plant litter on the floor to turn into humus. As a result the soils are less fertile