DIG IT! THE SECRETS OF SOILDIG IT! THE SECRETS OF SOIL

These DIG IT! Materials were developed by NACD based on an exhibition developed by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and sponsored by the Soil Science Society of America and the Nutrients for Life Foundation.

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SoilsEveryday

SoilProfile

“Soil”community

“Soil” basics

Phrases with

“Soil”

Question: Question: Soils EverydaySoils Everyday - 1 pt - 1 pt

Are soils important in your every day life?

Answer: Answer: Soils EverydaySoils Everyday - 1 pt - 1 pt

Are soils important in your every day life?

Yes

Name some of the ways?

Food, clothing, natural areas to enjoy (parks),

Question: Question: Soils EverydaySoils Everyday - 2 pts - 2 pts

Your house is built on soil.

Does the type of soil matter?

Answer: Answer: Soils EverydaySoils Everyday - 2 pts - 2 pts

Your house is built on soil.

Does the type of soil

matter?YES! A solid clay foundation is best because the clay particles can pack tightly together.

Question: Question: Soils EverydaySoils Everyday - 3 pts - 3 pts

Are soils used to make medicine?

Answer: Answer: Soils EverydaySoils Everyday - 3 pts - 3 pts

YES

Many life-saving antibiotics use compounds made by microorganisms that live in the soil.

Are soils used to make medicine?

Question: Question: Soils EverydaySoils Everyday - 4 pts - 4 pts

What is compost?

Answer: Answer: Soils EverydaySoils Everyday - 4 pts - 4 pts

What is compost?

The decomposition of materials that make soil.

Question: Question: Soils Everyday Soils Everyday - 5 pts- 5 pts

Trace a cotton t-shirt back to the soil.

Answer: Answer: Soils EverydaySoils Everyday - 5 pts - 5 pts

Cotton is a plant that grows in the soil - the t-shirt is made from cotton spun into thread, and woven into cloth. The cotton plant got its start in the soil.

Trace a cotton t-shirt back to the soil.

Question:Question: Soil ProfileSoil Profile - 1 pt - 1 pt

What is a soil profile?

Answer: Answer: Soil ProfileSoil Profile - 1 pt - 1 pt

A slice of the earth that shows layers of soil. Those layers can be an inch or several feet thick. They differ in color, texture and in many ways that are important to ecosystems and people.

What is a soil profile?

Question: Question: Soil ProfileSoil Profile - 2 pts - 2 pts

What is the top layer in a soil profile called?

Top soil

Answer: Answer: Soil ProfileSoil Profile - 2 pts - 2 pts

What is the top layer in a soil profile called?

Question: Question: Soil ProfileSoil Profile - 3 pts - 3 pts

What is material we find on top of the soil before it starts to breakdown?

Answer: Answer: Soil ProfileSoil Profile - 3 pts - 3 pts

Residue - It can be leaves, stalks/steams from crops, or other materials that will break down.

What is material we find on top of the soil before it starts to breakdown?

Question: Question: Soil ProfileSoil Profile - 4 pts - 4 pts

What is the average time it takes to make 1” of topsoil?

Answer: Answer: Soil ProfileSoil Profile - 4 pts - 4 pts

What is the average time it takes to make 1” of topsoil?

It can take 100 to 500 years or more to make 1” of topsoil

Question: Question: Soil Profile Soil Profile - 5 pts- 5 pts

Does each state or US territory have a soil that represents their state?

Answer: Answer: Soil ProfileSoil Profile - 5 pts - 5 pts

YES, many have been authorized by legislation. Many of these “Official State Soils” share the same level of distinction as official state flowers and birds.

Does each state or US territory have a soil that represents their state?

http://soils.usda.gov/gallery/state_soils/

Question: Question: ““Soil” communitySoil” community - 1 pt - 1 pt

Name some ways soils are important in your community?

Answer: Answer: ““Soil” communitySoil” community - 1 pt - 1 pt

Name some ways soils are important in your community?

Question: Question: ““Soil” communitySoil” community - 2 pts - 2 pts

Name 3 foods that come from soils.

Answer: Answer: ““Soil” communitySoil” community - 2 pts - 2 pts

Name 3 foods that come from soils.

Question: Question: ““Soil” communitySoil” community - 3 pts - 3 pts

What is soil erosion?

How can it be stopped?

Answer: Answer: ““Soil” communitySoil” community - 3 pts - 3 pts

Movement of soil by wind or water.

One way to help slow or stop soil erosion is to to keep the soil in place by planting plants that will hold the soil in place with their roots

What is soil erosion?

How can it be stopped?

Question: Question: ““Soil” communitySoil” community - 4 pts - 4 pts

Do septic systems work in all types of soils?

Answer: Answer: ““Soil” communitySoil” community - 4 pts - 4 pts

No

Do septic systems work in all types of soils?

Question: Question: ““Soil” communitySoil” community- 5 pts- 5 pts

Who can help you locate the type of soil your home, school or business is built on?

Answer: Answer: ““Soil” communitySoil” community - 5 pts - 5 pts

Your local USDA office, Soil & Water Conservation District office or online at http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/

Who can help you locate the type of soil your home, school or business is built on?

Question: Question: ““Soil” basicsSoil” basics - 1 pt - 1 pt

Do soils have different colors?

Answer: Answer: ““Soil” basicsSoil” basics - 1 pt - 1 pt

Do soils have different colors?

Yes, reds, browns, yellow, gray, black, purple, green and more.

Question: Question: ““Soil” basicsSoil” basics - 2 pts - 2 pts

Are soils critical to forests, wetlands, grasslands, tundra and streams?

Answer: Answer: ““Soil” basicsSoil” basics - 2 pts - 2 pts

Are soils critical to forests, wetlands, grasslands, tundra and streams?

Yes

Question: Question: ““Soil” basicsSoil” basics– 3 pts– 3 pts

What are the 3 basic components of soil texture?

Answer: Answer: ““Soil” basicsSoil” basics - 3 pts - 3 pts

What are the 3 basic components of soil texture?

Question: Question: ““Soil” basicsSoil” basics - 4 pts - 4 pts

Which of the 3 components of soil texture is the largest in size?

Clay

Silt

Sand

Answer: Answer: ““Soil” basicsSoil” basics - 4 pts - 4 pts

Which of the 3 components of soil texture is the largest in size?

SANDSand

Question: Question: ““Soil” basicsSoil” basics - 5 pts - 5 pts

Which of the 3 components of soil texture is the smallest in size?

Clay

Silt

Sand

Answer: Answer: ““Soil” basicsSoil” basics - 5 pts - 5 pts

Which of the 3 components of soil texture is the smallest in size?

CLAY

CLAY

Question:Question: Phrases with “Soil”Phrases with “Soil” - 1 pt - 1 pt

Soils make life _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

Answer:Answer: Phrases with “Soil”Phrases with “Soil” - 1 pt - 1 pt

Soils make life _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

possible

Question:Question: Phrases with “Soil”Phrases with “Soil” - 2 pts - 2 pts

_ _ _ _ grow in soils.

Answer:Answer: Phrases with “Soil”Phrases with “Soil” - 2 pts - 2 pts

_ _ _ _ grow in soils.

Crops

Question:Question: Phrases with “Soil”Phrases with “Soil” - 3 pts - 3 pts

Prevent soil _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

Answer:Answer: Phrases with “Soil”Phrases with “Soil” - 3 pts - 3 pts

Prevent soil _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

erosion

Question:Question: Phrases with “Soil”Phrases with “Soil” - 4 pts - 4 pts

Soils have _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

Answer:Answer: Phrases with “Soil”Phrases with “Soil” - 4 pts - 4 pts

Soils have _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

minerals

Question:Question: Phrases with “Soil”Phrases with “Soil” - 5 pts - 5 pts

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ our soils.

Answer:Answer: Phrases with “Soil”Phrases with “Soil” - 5 pts - 5 pts

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ our soils.

Protect