A | B |
Ground up material left by glaciers | Glacial Drift |
Dominantly silt-sized rock material transported and deposited by wind | Loess |
Sediments deposited by running water | Alluvium |
Material that has moved down a steep slope with gravity as the driving force, not water. | Colluvium |
Material formed in place by weathering bedrock. | Residum |
Organic material that accumulates in bogs because the wet conditions delay decomposition. | Peat |
Good aeration; poor fertility | Sand |
Feels like flour when dry and velvety when moist | Silt |
Poor aeration; good water-holding capacity | Clay |
Largest inorganic soil particle | Sand |
Mid-sized inorganic soil particle | Silt |
Smallest inorganic soil particle | Clay |
Layer dominated by organic material | O horizon |
Dark-colored mineral horizon; top soil | A horizon |
Mineral horizon; white colored, commonly found in forest soils | E horizon |
Subsoil | B horizon |
Loose underlying material, parent material | C horizon |
Hard bedrock | R horizon |
Layers of soil | Horizons |
Cross-section of soil | Soil Profile |
40% Sand, 40% Silt, 20% Clay | Loam |
Proportions of sand, silt, and clay | Soil Texture |
Upper part of the landscape including summits and side slopes | Upland |
Area where water flows through uplands and terraces during and after a rain | Intermittent Drainageway |
Area of moderate slope between a relatively steep area above and a relatively flat area below. | Footslope |
A remnant of a former bottomland and represents a time when the stream was at a higher level | Terrace |
Current floodplain of the stream, the land that may be covered with water when the stream overflows its banks | Bottomland |
Spots of one or more contrasting colors on a background of another color. | Mottles |
Test to determine soil depth | Knife test |
Test to determine soil texture | Ribbon test |