Soil Analysis Lab
Pre-Lab Questions:
1. Define the following:
a) Porosity- Measure of the void spaces in a material and a fraction of the volume of voids over the total volume.
b) Permeability- A measure of the ability of a porous material to allow fluids to pass through it.
c) Water Holding Capacity- Amount of soil water available to plants.
d) Solution- A homogeneous mixture of two or more solids, liquids, and/or gases.
e) Suspension- A mixture in which small particles are dispersed throughout a gas or liquid.
2. The industries that would have to worry about soil formation would be construction, lawn service(s), architects, and geologists.
3. Since most of North Carolina is made up of sandy soil, then yes a large scale septic tank could work, however for the various areas amongst the state that have clay soil, it would not be able to work.
a) Porosity- Measure of the void spaces in a material and a fraction of the volume of voids over the total volume.
b) Permeability- A measure of the ability of a porous material to allow fluids to pass through it.
c) Water Holding Capacity- Amount of soil water available to plants.
d) Solution- A homogeneous mixture of two or more solids, liquids, and/or gases.
e) Suspension- A mixture in which small particles are dispersed throughout a gas or liquid.
2. The industries that would have to worry about soil formation would be construction, lawn service(s), architects, and geologists.
3. Since most of North Carolina is made up of sandy soil, then yes a large scale septic tank could work, however for the various areas amongst the state that have clay soil, it would not be able to work.
Hypothesis:
If the soil from my house is tested for it's texture, then it will show to be a loamy sand and not obtain a good permeability with available water.
Parts of Experiment:
- Independent Variable- Type of soil (Sand, Clay, Silt)
- Dependent Variable- Permeability of the soil/ How fast water can run through the soil
- Controlled Variables- Water amount, container, and collecting beaker
- Control Group- Soil from around the home
- Experimental Group- Provided soil in class
Problem:
What soil will have the greatest permeability?
Materials:
- Plastic Filter
- 3 Different Soils (Sand, Clay, Home Soil Sample)
- Tapwater
- Beaker
- Time Watch
- 1 Cylinder
- 3 Petri Dishes
- Acid Tape "Testers"
Procedure:
1) Fill up the plastic filter with one of the three soils (remember to collect and write data during lab).
2) Measure 25mL of tap water in a cylinder.
3) Place a beaker underneath the plastic straw, leading down from the plastic filter, so that the water that flows through the tested soil will be caught.
4) Put the responsibility of a timer in the group, this person will time how long it takes for the first drop of water to come out of the soil.
5) Pour the 25mL of tap water into the plastic filter with soil in it. Timer should begin timing as soon as the water touches the soil.
6) Record the amount of time it took for the first drop of water to come through the soil.
7) Wait until all water has been collected from the soil and measure the amount. Then, compare to the original amount of water that was started with.
8) Repeat this process for the rest of the soils tested.
9) After testing for permeability, place each soil (sand, top soil, house soil) into a petri dish.
10) Fill the petri dish with some water, not too much that could possibly dilute the acidity of each soil.
11) Place in acid testing strips into each petri dish and record what color/amount of acid they have.
12) Lastly, when determining the soil texture, put some soil in your hand and add a little bit of water.
13) Squish the muddy substance and try to form a "worm".
14) Record observations and texture of each soil.
2) Measure 25mL of tap water in a cylinder.
3) Place a beaker underneath the plastic straw, leading down from the plastic filter, so that the water that flows through the tested soil will be caught.
4) Put the responsibility of a timer in the group, this person will time how long it takes for the first drop of water to come out of the soil.
5) Pour the 25mL of tap water into the plastic filter with soil in it. Timer should begin timing as soon as the water touches the soil.
6) Record the amount of time it took for the first drop of water to come through the soil.
7) Wait until all water has been collected from the soil and measure the amount. Then, compare to the original amount of water that was started with.
8) Repeat this process for the rest of the soils tested.
9) After testing for permeability, place each soil (sand, top soil, house soil) into a petri dish.
10) Fill the petri dish with some water, not too much that could possibly dilute the acidity of each soil.
11) Place in acid testing strips into each petri dish and record what color/amount of acid they have.
12) Lastly, when determining the soil texture, put some soil in your hand and add a little bit of water.
13) Squish the muddy substance and try to form a "worm".
14) Record observations and texture of each soil.
Observations & Data:
When testing the permeability of each soil type, the sand was shown to not have as good of a permeability then the topsoil. Which is irrational, because sand should have the best permeability out of the three soils tested. While performing the permeability tests, I noticed that the water collected after the test had various particles that ran off from the tested soil sample. However, the end result of collected water that was clear and didn't seem to have very many pieces of it's soil, was the tested sand sample. Then, when testing the pH of each soil sample, it was surprising to see that the topsoil had the highest pH. Since the topsoil had the highest pH, does that mean it collects the most pollution out of the many ground layers? It came to my attention that because the topsoil was the closest ground level to the atmosphere, that indeed it would collect the most pollution (in runoff, precipitation, gases) then the other soils. Lastly, when focusing on the soil texture testing, I hypothesized that the soil from around my house would be able to form a sturdy structure, not as thick as clay, but easy enough to mold and stay. But, the soil from around my house turned into an extremely liquid mud and was very difficult to form into a figure. This could of possibly been because of the amount of water added to the soil, if it were to be excessive.
soil_analysis_table.docx | |
File Size: | 40 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Analysis and Conclusions:
Questions specific to the lab-
1.
a) 10% Clay, 60% Sand, 30% Silt: Sandy Loam
b) 60% Clay, 20% Sand, 20% Silt: Clay
c) 20% Clay, 20% Sand, 60% Silt: Silt Loam
d) 20% Clay, 40% Sand, 40% Silt: Loam
2. The relationship between consistency and texture rely on one another. For the consistency of the soil cannot be determined without the texture. The texture is found by the size and what the particles are. The particles then create the consistency, whether good or bad, the soil has. For example, the soil that's near my house has a more silt then clay or sand, so it has small particles and is easily broken down if there are big chunks that are built up within it. When testing the consistency of the soil from around my house, it seems to have a low consistency because the materials that are held together break easily.
3. Consistence affects the growth of plants because it creates the amount of water that can "leak" down to the roots of the plant. If a soil has a high consistency then water will be less able to nourish the roots of the plant because it will be harder to go through the soil. On the other hand, if a soil has a low consistency then water will swarm and flood the roots of a plant. Either one of these extremes can be harmful to the growth and life of a plant. But, if a medium is found between high and low consistency, the plant will be well off.
4. No, the capacity was not the same for all the group's soils compared to ours.
5.The most important characteristic of soil in determining the water holding capacity is the soil texture.
6. Yes, the ditch with the clay slope would flood more. This is because clay soil does not soak up as much water as a sand soil. In other words, clay soil does not have as good of permeability as sand soil.
7. You would have to water the field of crops with the sand soil most often because it has a high need for water. This high need of water derives from the soil's extremely fast makeup to absorb water. Therefore, crops will not be able to obtain much water, if it keeps traveling downward. Unlike the clay soil which would hold the water over a long period of time.
8. From observing the local soil samples, it seems that agriculture would not be able to thrive well in these types of soils (Loamy Sand, Sandy Clay Loam), but would be sturdy enough for building and construction. It also depends on the types of crops that are planted such as tobacco, which needs a lot of water to grow and live.
General Conclusion-
Soil encompasses the world, giving nutrition to plants, a foundation for life physically, and a source of holding water. However, there are potential hazards and risks that can come from soil. Some of these risks or hazards are the problem of runoff, chemicals and pesticides, acid sulfate soils, droughts, erosion, floods, landslides, and radon potential. Many of these risks and hazards are from natural causes, but there are exceptions for the man made aspects that cause soil problems. We must take precautions to limit the risks and hazards that soils can bring us.
"Understanding Soil Risks and Hazards." Understanding Soil Risk and Hazards. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2012.
1.
a) 10% Clay, 60% Sand, 30% Silt: Sandy Loam
b) 60% Clay, 20% Sand, 20% Silt: Clay
c) 20% Clay, 20% Sand, 60% Silt: Silt Loam
d) 20% Clay, 40% Sand, 40% Silt: Loam
2. The relationship between consistency and texture rely on one another. For the consistency of the soil cannot be determined without the texture. The texture is found by the size and what the particles are. The particles then create the consistency, whether good or bad, the soil has. For example, the soil that's near my house has a more silt then clay or sand, so it has small particles and is easily broken down if there are big chunks that are built up within it. When testing the consistency of the soil from around my house, it seems to have a low consistency because the materials that are held together break easily.
3. Consistence affects the growth of plants because it creates the amount of water that can "leak" down to the roots of the plant. If a soil has a high consistency then water will be less able to nourish the roots of the plant because it will be harder to go through the soil. On the other hand, if a soil has a low consistency then water will swarm and flood the roots of a plant. Either one of these extremes can be harmful to the growth and life of a plant. But, if a medium is found between high and low consistency, the plant will be well off.
4. No, the capacity was not the same for all the group's soils compared to ours.
5.The most important characteristic of soil in determining the water holding capacity is the soil texture.
6. Yes, the ditch with the clay slope would flood more. This is because clay soil does not soak up as much water as a sand soil. In other words, clay soil does not have as good of permeability as sand soil.
7. You would have to water the field of crops with the sand soil most often because it has a high need for water. This high need of water derives from the soil's extremely fast makeup to absorb water. Therefore, crops will not be able to obtain much water, if it keeps traveling downward. Unlike the clay soil which would hold the water over a long period of time.
8. From observing the local soil samples, it seems that agriculture would not be able to thrive well in these types of soils (Loamy Sand, Sandy Clay Loam), but would be sturdy enough for building and construction. It also depends on the types of crops that are planted such as tobacco, which needs a lot of water to grow and live.
General Conclusion-
Soil encompasses the world, giving nutrition to plants, a foundation for life physically, and a source of holding water. However, there are potential hazards and risks that can come from soil. Some of these risks or hazards are the problem of runoff, chemicals and pesticides, acid sulfate soils, droughts, erosion, floods, landslides, and radon potential. Many of these risks and hazards are from natural causes, but there are exceptions for the man made aspects that cause soil problems. We must take precautions to limit the risks and hazards that soils can bring us.
"Understanding Soil Risks and Hazards." Understanding Soil Risk and Hazards. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2012.