Soils 230: Soil, a Natural Body to Study - Course Introduction

These flashcards cover the foundational concepts, vocabulary, soil orders, and administrative details from the Soils 230 course introduction at UW-Madison.

SSSA Soil Definition

Unconsolidated mineral matter on the surface of the earth that has been subjected to and influenced by genetic and environmental factors of: parent material, climate (moisture and temperature), macro and micro organisms, and topography, all acting over a period of time.

Surface Dweller

A level of motivation where the student assumes what is on the slides, text, and homework is sufficient to get through the class, resulting in little transformational learning.

Subsurface Driller

A level of motivation where the student is curious and wants to mechanistically understand their world, viewing the instructor and resources as tools for a self-motivated pursuit of deeper understanding.

Ideal Soil Composition

A composition consisting of $45\%$ mineral particles, $25\%$ air, $25\%$ water, and $5\%$ organic matter.

Soil Organic Matter (SOM) Breakdown

The organic component of soil consisting of $10\%$ organisms, $10\%$ roots, and $80\%$ humus.

Soil Carbon Storage

Approximately $10\%$ of the world’s carbon dioxide is stored in the soil.

Soil Organism Population

There are more organisms in $1$ tablespoon of soil than there are people on Earth.

United States Soil Diversity

There are over $70,000$ types of soil in the United States alone.

Mueller and Oppenheimer ($2014$)

Researchers whose study in Psychological Science concluded that longhand note-taking is superior to laptop note-taking because the latter results in shallower processing.

V.V. Dokuchaev ($1846$-$1903$)

A pedologist who noted that soils kilometers apart have similar profiles if climate and vegetation are similar; author of Chernozem ($1883$).

G.D. Smith

The chief architect of Soil Taxonomy ($1975$) who refined the National Soil Survey for the USDA SCS.

UHPEM

An acronym meaning Upward Hierarchical Propagating Error Messages.

Soil Genesis: Inputs

Movements or pathways entering the soil system, such as organic matter.

Soil Genesis: Outputs

Movements or pathways leaving the soil system, such as nitrate.

Soil Genesis: Translocations

Movements within the soil system, such as leaching.

Soil Genesis: Transformations

Movements within the soil system involving change, such as weathering.

Entisol

A soil order representing recent soil, referred to as "the baby."

Inceptisol

A soil order with little development, referred to as "teenagers."

Histosol

An organic soil order described as "all wet."

Andisol

A volcanic soil order described as "what a blast."

Gelisol

A soil order found in very cold conditions, described as "brrrrr."

Aridsol

A very dry soil order requiring irrigation, described as "water, please!"

Vertisol

A swelling soil order described as "toppy turby."

Alfisol

A mild acid soil order associated with "those fall leaves!"

Mollisol

A prairie soil order described as "soooo soft!"

Spodosol

An acid soil order associated with "evergreen" vegetation.

Ultisol

A weathered soil order described as having "that weathered look."

Oxisol

A strongly weathered soil order typically found in "tropical" environments.

O Horizon

A soil horizon consisting of loose organic matter.

A Horizon

A topsoil horizon consisting of inorganic matter mixed with humus.

E Horizon

An eluviated horizon containing little or no organic matter.

B Horizon

The zone of illuviation, containing materials transported from overlying horizons.

C Horizon

Significantly weathered parent material that may be partially oxidized.

R Horizon

Unaltered parent material or bedrock.