SOIL VOCABULARY

SOIL VOCABULARY

Soil: Contains weathered rocks( sand, silt, clay ), orgainc matter, air and water.

Organic matter: Decomposing plant and animal materials found in top soil.

Soil composition: The ingredients that make up a sample soil.

Nutrients: Essential elements required by and organism to grow and reproduce.

Decompose: Break down of plants,animals,etc into soil.

Weathering: Breakup of rocks caused by chemical or mechanical process.

Pieces of weathered rock: Sand,silt and clay.

Sand: largest particles,stay at bottom.

Silt: Medium particles.

Clay: Small particles,stay towards the top.

Soil layers: Orgaic,tp soil, sub soil, parent material and bedrock.

Top soil: Weathered rocks (sand,silt clay), organic matter, air and water.

Subsoil: Some chemical found in topsoil, not much organic matter

Parent material: Slight broken up bedrock, no plant roots, very little organic matter.

Bedrock: Hard rock.

Texture: How soil feels.

Grainy: Large pieces, sand like.

Silky: Medium pieces, sit like.

Sticky: Small pieces,clay like.

Color: Chocalate brown, reddish brown, yellowish brown, grayish brown.

Consistence: How easily soil braks apart.

Loose: Soil breaks apart when held.

Friable: Breaks apart with small amount of pressure from one finger.

Firm: Breaks apart with a lot of pressure from two fingers.