Soils

• List the five main ingredients in soil


  Mineral matter, air, water, humus , living organisms
• What is mineral matter made up of ?


  Sand, silt stones and clay
• What does humus do?


  Binds soil together and provides nutrients to soil to make it more fertile
• List the layers of soil 


  O horizon

  A horizon(topsoil)

  B horizon ( subsoil)

  C horizon ( bedrock)
• describe the o horizon


  Contains organic matter , plant litter provides humus to topsoil
• Describe the A horizon


  Contains living organisms.

  Darker due to high humus content

  very fertile
• Describe B horizon 


  Lighter colour due to lower humus content .

  Some stones from bedrock.

  protected from erosion and weathering
• Describe the C horizon 


  Parent material

  Top- rock particles

  Bottom - solid rock
• describe what hard pan is

  When materials build up at the bottom of Horizon A and are cemented together.
• what does impermeable mean?

  When water is unable to pass through.
• Describe what leaching is


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


  Sometimes, in extremely wet conditions, minerals build up at the bottom of the A horizon. They can become cemented together to create hardpan. This is an impermeable layer that water is unable to flow through, and so the soil above the hardpan becomes waterlogged.
• Leaching diagrams


  Draw both

  
• Six factors affecting soil formation

  Climate

  parent material

  landscape/ relief

  Living organisms

  time

  vegetation
• How can climate affect the formation of soil 


  Too much rain leads to leaching

  Freeze thaw action- occurs areas with cold climates and chemical weathering help break down parent rock in hot climate areas .

  type of vegetation controls breakdown of living organisms and formation of humus
• How does landscape/ relief affect soil formation


  Soils in upland areas are generally thin because of mass movement .

  poorly drained due to heavy rain.

  Soil in lowland areas are deeper, well drained and more fertile due to being rich in humus
• How do living organisms affect soil formation


  Living organisms in soil such as fungi and bacteria breakdown plant litter in o horizon which creates more humus .

  when living organisms die they add nutrients to soil
• How does soil influence vegetation

  Many plants don’t grow on acidic soil.

  drainage- clay soils can become waterlogged easily and farmers find it difficult to cultivate them

  Deep fertile soils can support a high amount of vegetation due to high nutrient content
• How does vegetation influence soil 


  Vegetation provided plant litter (makes humus)

  Soil erosion- vegetation binds soil and protects it from soil erosion

  Leaching- vegetation acts as an umbrella and reduces impact of heavy rain on soil
• Name two soils found in Ireland

  Brown earth soils

  podzol soil
• Name two locations in Ireland containing brown earth soils

  Cork

  Kerry
• What type of area can brown earth soils be found

  Midlands
• Describe how brown earth soils are developed 


  Developed on boulder clay deposited during the last Ice age.

  Even amount of sand, silt and clay

  Decidious forests developed on the sail supplying plant litter for humus

  Soil is dark in color (fertile)
• What are brown earth soils used for


  Farming

  deciduous forests were cleared for agricultural use

  Farmers add nutrients to soil to keep fertile
• where would you find podzol soils in Ireland

  Cork

  kerry
• What type of areas would you find podzol soils in

  Coastal
• How are podzol soils developed?


  coniferous forests form on Podzol soils in cold wet areas

  There is little plant litter meaning little humus making soil infertile and grey

  heavy rain leads to leaching which creates a hard pan .
• What is podzol soil used for ?


  Grazing
• Soil diagram 


  Draw and color

  
• Brown earth soil diagram


  Know color difference

  
• Podzol soil diagram 


  Know colour difference