Compared to p waves and s
waves, surface waves move
a.
b.
c.
d.
Faster
Slower
At the same rate
Farther from the epicenter
Part 1 Project

Good: Very Creative, even the
PowerPoints, lots of great visuals
Bad: Some parts of the rubric were
missing, too many people didn’t have
it done on time. Some plagiarizing
Late Policy

Everyday, it’s 10 points off!
Please, please don’t do this
to yourself!
A deal……

You may add
missing parts
(zeroes on any
section)
You will only get
half the points back
Next time, no
deal!!!
From Bedrock to Soil

 The source of soil
 Soil – a loose mixture of rock fragments, organic
material, water, and air that can support the
growth of vegetation
 Soil is made from weathered rock fragments, the
type of soil that forms depends on the type of rock
that weathers
 Parent rock – a rock formation that is the source
of soil
 Bedrock – the layer of rock beneath soil
 Soil Properties
 Soil Texture and Soil Structure
 Soil Fertility

 Humus – dark, organic material formed in soil from
the decayed remains of plants and animals
 Soil Horizons – soil often ends up in a series of
layers, with humus-rich soil on top, sediment
below that, and bedrock on the bottom
 Horizon tells you the layer the rock is in horizontal
 Top layer of soil is often called topsoil and
contains more humus than the layers below
 Soil pH
Soil Conservation
 Soil conservation – is the method to maintain

the fertility of the soil by protecting the soil
from erosion and nutrient loss
 The importance of soil – soil provides minerals
and other nutrients for plants and all animals
get their energy from plants
 Housing – soil provides a place for animals to
live
 Water Storage – without soil to hold water,
plants would not get the moisture of the
nutrients they need. Soil also keeps water from
running off
 Soil Damage and Loss – can be caused by
overuse, poor farming techniques or overgrazing

 Soil Erosion – the process by which wind, water, ice,
or gravity transport soil and sediment from one
location to another
 Contour Plowing and Terracing
 Contour Plowing – plowing across the slope of hills
 Terracing – changing one steep field into a series of
smaller flatter fields
 Cover Crop and Crop Rotation
 Cover crops – crops that are planted between
harvest to replace certain nutrients and prevent
erosion
 Crop rotation – planting different crops
Without soil, life on earth would be very
different.
Imagine no plants that grew in soil.
No animals that grazed on plants.
Where would we get our food?
What would we eat?
What do you think?
Much of the life on earth depends on soil.
Soil is made of weathered rock and
decayed parts of plants and animals.
Soil provides the nutrients needed
by most plants to grow.
http://tiee.ecoed.net
Photo: A. Criminger
The first step is for bedrock to be broken down by weathering.
This weathering can happen by wind, water, or changes in temperature.
Wind
Copyright © Marli Miller, University of Oregon
Water
Photo: A Criminger
Temperature
Copyright © Bruce Molnia, Terra Photographics
Organisms such as bacteria and fungi begin to grow in the broken
down bedrock.
Soil bacteria
Soil fungi
These organisms
live and die
providing the soil
with nutrients
that other plants
need to grow!
http://waterandlife.org/MicroBiota.htm
(Image: USDA)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Rock particles
Minerals
Decayed plant and animal material
Air
Water
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/10t.html
WHICH SOIL WILL BE MORE
FERTILE?

OR
The rainforest
The desert
Air Spaces are important in a
healthy soil because:
They allow for
the circulation
of water and
air.
A healthy soil
has about 50%
water and 50%
air spaces.
5 FACTORS AFFECT SOIL
FORMATION

1. CLIMATE
2. PLANTS AND ANIMALS
3. PARENT MATERIAL
4. TOPOGRAPHY
5. TIME
CLIMATE
 Climate is:
+
Temperature
Rainfall
TEMPERATURE
 Warmer climates
cause more rapid
decay of organic
material. They have
better soils.
 Cooler climates have
less decay of organic
material. They have
poorer soils.
PRECIPITATION
 Some water is good,
but too much water is
bad for soils.
 Leaching – When the
soil has too much
water and it washes
away the nutrients.
PLANTS AND
ANIMALS
1. Affect soil formation by providing nutrients from
decaying bodies
2. Plants help to retain water so soil doesn’t wash
away.
3. Earthworms and other animals help to mix up
the soil so it has air pockets.
Mole

Earthworm
PARENT
MATERIAL

1. The original “rock” before the soil was formed.
2. The type of minerals present determine the
type of soil and the types of plants that will
grow in that soil
TOPOGRAPHY
Hilly lands are less

fertile because
water runs downhill
and carries nutrients
away
Flat lands are more
fertile because
water doesn’t wash
away as much
Which land below will have better
soils?
or
The flat land

TIME
 The more time a soil has to develop, the
healthier it will be.
This is called a
soil profile!
http://epod.usra.edu
Each layer of a soil profile is called a horizon.
O – organic material on the surface
A – Topsoil high in organic material.
Where insects and worms live among
the shallow plant roots.
B – Subsoil that is high in clay and
minerals. Deep roots reach into the
subsoil.
C – This layer is made of broken bedrock
and contains less nutrients
R – This layer is made of bedrock and
contains large, unbroken rock.
North Georgia soil profile
Not all Georgia soils are red, but
many of them are. The State is well
known for its abundance of
"Georgia Red Clay".
People often ask why the soils are
red.
The red color that is so evident in
Georgia soils is due primarily to iron
oxides.
Georgia soil is red because the iron
in it has bonded with oxygen
forming molecules of “rust.”
http://www.ga.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/soils/red.html
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov
In the 1930’s, farmers removed all the grasses holding the soil in
place. After a drought, the wind blew all the topsoil away. Millions of
people were affected. This event was called the “Dust Bowl.”
O HORIZON

The O Horizon
contains layers of
Organic material,
such as leaves, pine
needles and twigs
and decaying animal
tissues.
A HORIZON

The dark color of the A
Horizon is from the
mixing of Humus
(Organic Matter)
with weathered minerals.
E Horizon

E Horizon:
E stands for
“eluviation,” which
is the movement
of dissolved or
suspended
materials out of
the A Horizon. It is
lighter in color
than the layers
above or below it.
B HORIZON

B Horizon:
Commonly
called Subsoil.
The illuviated
zone, where
containing soil
materials
leached from
above. Color:
yellow or red.
C HORIZON

Partially
C Horizon:
weathered parent
material and mineral
particles are in this
horizon.
R HORIZON

R Horizon:
Unaltered bedrock
within a few feet of
the surface. Common
in Missouri.
(Dolomite, dolostone,
or limestone.)
Typically requires
blasting to dig
through.
In the Real World:

Soil Profiles are as
different as People are
different!
Every
state has dozens of
Soil Profiles. Cole
County has seven main
soil profiles alone!
Everyone one of them
is different.
Put your best game face
on!