Soil Composition

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Soil Science

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Soil is “the unconsolidated mineral or material on the immediate surface of the earth that serves as a natural medium for the growth of land plants.” • Soil is “the unconsolidated mineral or organic matter on the surface of the earth that has been subjected to and influenced by genetic and environmental factors of parent material, climate (including water and temperature effects), macro- and microorganisms, and topography, all acting over a period of time and producing a product—soil—that differs from the material from which it is derived in many physical, chemical, biological, and morphological properties and characteristics.”

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Soil as an open system

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Where does soil come from? Rocks Minerals Organic Matter

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Mollisol Profile Sagebrush-Cold Desert

What are the main components of soil? : 

What are the main components of soil? Mineral Matter Air Water Organic Matter

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Soil Particles Note: clays are microscopic in size !

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Clay minerals photographed with an electron Microscope. Note: they are plate or flake like and are stacked on top of each other. They are electrically charged and act like magnets that attract and hold plant nutrients.

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Soil should have aggregates!

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Organic matter is soil gold !

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What causes soil erosion? Water Wind No Vegetation

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My Neighbor has my soil!

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Rain drop erosion

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The Great Dust Bowl Wind Erosion

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The Great Dust Bowl

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Clouds of Silt

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Wind Erosion removed topsoil

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Wind eroded soil

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Rill Erosion

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Gully Erosion How did the Canyon Lands of Utah form?

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Vegetation protects soil

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Erosion Prayer

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Our lives depend on preserving our topsoils.

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Cotton in Furrows

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What are the FACTORS that make SOIL? TIME 1000’S TO 10,000’S OF YEARS LAY OF THE LAND TOPOGRAPHY LIVING ORGANISMS ANIMALS AND PLANTS CLIMATE HOT/COLD, WIND/RAIN PARENT MATERIAL ROCKS AND MINERALS

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Topography Physical land features

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What are some practices Of SOIL CONSERVATION? Terracing Strip Cropping Contour Plowing Tilling Wind Breaks Ground Covers

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Strip Cropping Contour Plowing

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Contour Farming

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Contour Farming

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Tilling Soil on flat land

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Furrow Irrigation

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Minimum Tillage

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Strip Cropping

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Strip Crop Farming

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Soil - We cannot live without it!