APES 4b soil properties test review

texture of soil

sand >silt> slay

what is soil texture

the percent of sand , silt , and clay in a soil

how is soil texture measured

Measured by it always adding up to 100% 

The best would be  40-40-20

soil porosity

Por = pores

Because the sand is bigger , it has BIGGER PORES (empty spaces between particles)

Allows air & water to enter sandy soil easily 

Clay has smallest pores , so its harder

porosity

PHYSICAL SPACE

the pore space within a soil

More sand in a soil= more porous/higher porosity (Easier for water & air to enter)

permeability

ACTION 

how easily water drains through a soil

water holding capacity

how well water is retained or held by a soil

more porous/ permeable = LOWER H20 holding capacity

how does soil’s water holding capacity relate to plant growth

It determines how much water is available for the roots to absorb

Soil that is too sandy drains water too quickly (dries out)

Clay-heavy soil doesn’t let water drain to roots (suffocates them)

soil fertility

ability of soil to support plant growth

Explain the role soil pH plays in plant growth.

determines the availability of essential nutrients to plant food nutrients  

Too acidic or basic soil will not

• Allow nutrients to dissolve into the water

• Allow presence of certain ions

ph range

4.0-8.0

Where is largest reservoir of Nitrogen?

The earth's atmosphere (78%),

bacteria plays an important role in the transfer

humans intervene with cycle

List 3 essential soil nutrients needed for plant growth

nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) , Potassium (K)

Identify TWO chemical measures of soil quality. Discuss how those chemical measures relate to plant growth.

pH : directly affects the availability of nutrients to plants by influencing their solubility,

nutrient level: Higher nutrient levels = more plant growth

strip mining

Shallow horizontal deposits near the surface 

1. Layers of surface soil and rock are removed by heavy machinery

2. Exposes the resources

3. Soil and rock are replaced

mountaintop removal

1. Forests are clear cut

2. Timber is sold or burned

3. Topsoil is removed

4. Repeated cycles of blasting removes hundred of vertical feet of mountain top

placer mining

the mining stream bed deposits for minerals (panning for gold)

open-pit mining

extracts minerals from an OPEN PIT IN THE GROUND

used when mineral or ore is found close to the surface

three environmental consequences of surface mining

topsoil erosion

habitat loss

increased stream turbidity (cloudiness)

 TWO human health risks associated with subsurface mining

toxic gas exposure

lung cancer

asbestos

Describe subsurface mining

The process of extracting natural resources from beneath the earth’s surface 

Vertical shaft drilled into ground

• Elevator to carry down workers and transport out resource

• Used for coal 

two human health risks associated with subsurface mining

toxic gas expose

lung cancer, asbestos

why is subsurface mining more expensive than surface mining

due to higher insurance and health care for workers 

the process of mine reclamation

Process of restoring land to original state after mining has finished 

1. Filling of empty mine shafts/holes

2. Restoring original contours of land 

3. Returning topsoil, with acids, metals and tailings removed

4. Replating of NATIVE plants to restore community to as close to original state as possible

ONE neg. env. Consequence of acid mine drainage

lowers pH of water (kills aquatic organisms bc it breaks down water easier)

how subsurface mining leads to acid mine drainage

When sulfide minerals in the rocks are exposed to air and water during the mining process 

acid mine drainage definition

rainwater leaks into abandoed mine tunnels and mixes with pyrite, forming sulfuric acid

methane release

GHG= climate change

particulate matter realease

coal mining releases methane gas from rock around coal

vented out of mine to prevent explosion and contiunues seeping out after mine closes