Transcript What is soil?

What is the dirt on soil?
Soil, is made from rocks that
break apart or wear away
over many years. This is
referred to as
weathering. It may take
100 to 1,000 years for 1 cm
of soil to form through
weathering. Soil also
contains air, water, and
humus, the decayed
remains of dead animals
and plants.
Soil can actually be
separated into 5 main
parts. They are:
• Humus
• Clay
• Sand
• Silt
• gravel
Humus
Humus: A dark, moist soil
composed of bits of dead,
rotting insects, animals,
leaves, roots, sticks, and
food. Humus adds
nutrients to the soil which
plants need to grow and
live.
Clay
Clay: A soil that holds
water. When wet, clay
feels slippery and
slimy. It is made of
particles that are smaller
than 0.004 millimeters.
Silt
Silt: Soil that looks like fine grains or tiny
pieces of rock. Particles classified as silt
measure from 0.004 millimeters to 0.006
millimeters.
Sand
Sand: Soil that is coarse and drains
quickly. Sand particles measure from
about 0.006 millimeters to 2.00
millimeters.
Gravel
Gravel: Visible rock particles, sometimes
referred to as pebbles.
How are sand and potting soil
different?
Now that you have the dirt on soil, lets look
at some samples of potting soil and sand.
Take your science journal and fill in the
glossary with the title.
Now go to the next 2 pages in your journal
and lets get started…
Set up your journal…
December 6
Sand Observations
SAND
Potting Soil Observations
How Are Sand And Potting Soil
Different?
POTTING SOIL
These are your materials…
•
•
•
•
•
Sand
Potting soil
Paper plates
Hand lens
Sifter if available
Procedure…
On a plate, pour a small sample of potting soil and
a small sample of sand.
Make observations about what each sample looks
like, feels like, color, texture…
Use the magnifying glass to examine each sample
and write your observations.
Now using the strainer, sift some of the soil onto
the plate.
What do you see?
Now do the same with sand.
Lets map it out…
Now using a double bubble map and your
observations, compare and contrast what
you noticed about sand and potting soil.
Sand
Potting
Soil