Soil Lab
Ohene Akuoko
10/24/12
Soil and Environment
Classification of Soil based on Sedimentation Rates
Introduction
Soil is a naturally occurring substance covering the upper level of Earth’s Continental Crust which sits upon Earth’s highest layer of geological area the lithosphere. Soil is actually nothing more but the remnants of the Earth’s Mountains and the life that has lived on this planet through the natural process of erosion and time on Earth. A good soil is said to be composed of 5 % organic material 25% Air 25% water, 45% of inorganic material which could be either sand, silt, or clay. Being almost a majority these 3 categories have a lot to do with soil’s relationship with its second most important component, water. It has been measured and figured that sand is the larger of the 3 aggregates having the greater diameter being called a coarse sand which we know to not hold water very well. A soil whose aggregates are within a fine and coarse texture is called a silt, which we know to contain an average capacity to hold water. Then there’s the smallest fine textured soil whose aggregates are so small they can’t be seen with the naked eye is known as a clay and holds water very well. We know how these soils hold water by knowing how water holds them also known as their particle density usually corresponding with the particle’s size and surface area. Knowing that we can figure that during this experiment sand will sink first and clay shall be last and also for it to be a, silt, sandy loam soil due to the look texture and feel of our soil.
Materials and Methods
First me and my group of two other classmates collected 50 grams of soil. To make sure it was exactly 50 grams the soil was weighed on a digital scale inside a small container the empty container was weighed first and then our soil was added into. To find the final soil’s mass the to measurement of container was subtracted the final mass. We then placed the soil into a stirring cup given to us by
10/24/12
Soil and Environment
Classification of Soil based on Sedimentation Rates
Introduction
Soil is a naturally occurring substance covering the upper level of Earth’s Continental Crust which sits upon Earth’s highest layer of geological area the lithosphere. Soil is actually nothing more but the remnants of the Earth’s Mountains and the life that has lived on this planet through the natural process of erosion and time on Earth. A good soil is said to be composed of 5 % organic material 25% Air 25% water, 45% of inorganic material which could be either sand, silt, or clay. Being almost a majority these 3 categories have a lot to do with soil’s relationship with its second most important component, water. It has been measured and figured that sand is the larger of the 3 aggregates having the greater diameter being called a coarse sand which we know to not hold water very well. A soil whose aggregates are within a fine and coarse texture is called a silt, which we know to contain an average capacity to hold water. Then there’s the smallest fine textured soil whose aggregates are so small they can’t be seen with the naked eye is known as a clay and holds water very well. We know how these soils hold water by knowing how water holds them also known as their particle density usually corresponding with the particle’s size and surface area. Knowing that we can figure that during this experiment sand will sink first and clay shall be last and also for it to be a, silt, sandy loam soil due to the look texture and feel of our soil.
Materials and Methods
First me and my group of two other classmates collected 50 grams of soil. To make sure it was exactly 50 grams the soil was weighed on a digital scale inside a small container the empty container was weighed first and then our soil was added into. To find the final soil’s mass the to measurement of container was subtracted the final mass. We then placed the soil into a stirring cup given to us by
Cited: Gromicko, Nick and Shepard, Kenton. (n.d.).Soil and Settlement. http://www.nachi.org/soils-settlement.htm N.A..(n.d). How Soil Influences Water. http://www.soil.ncsu.edu/publications/Soilfacts/AG-439-01/ http://www.eng.utoledo.edu/civil/heydinger/soil%20mechanics/SMgeol.pdf http://courses.ma.org/sciences/anat_phys/Intro%20Info/Lab%20Format.htm http://courses.nres.uiuc.edu/nres201/Labs/Lab%206%20Soil%20Texture%20and%20Density.pdf