CANON ENVIROTHON 2005Soils
Section 1. Using Topographic Maps to Navigate and tt Recognize Geomorphic Landforms
1.You are at the site of Rays cornfield, marked on the topographic map. You are walking up to Bloody Hill. Draw a line between the two areas and note the landforms between the two sites. What geomorphic landform was Rays cornfield located on? (2 pt)
2.The arrow on Bloody Hill is pointing at what geomorphic landform? (2 pt)
3.At the pit, which of the landforms is represented? (2 pt)
Section 2. Judging the Soil Pit
4.The following sequences of master horizons can be found in Missouri. Which of these horizon sequences is found in the soil pit? Circle the answer. (2 pt)
A-E-B-CO-E-B-CA-B-C-RA-B-CA-B-RA-C
5.At what depth is the water table in the pit? List a soil characteristic that helped you determine where the level was. (2 pt)
6.Did this soil develop under prairie or forest vegetation? List a soil characteristic that helped you determine this. (2 pt)
Section 3. Assessing the Soil and Site Characteristics – Use the bag samples to answer questions 9 and 10.
7.a.What is the textural group of the soil sample in bag number 1? (2 pt)
b.What is the textural group of the soil sample in bag number 2? (2 pt)
8.a.What is the color (hue, value, chroma) of the soil sample in bag number 1? (2 pt)
b.What is the color (hue, value, chroma) of the soil sample in bag number 2? (2 pt)
9.Which factors affect the movement of water through the soil? (4 pt)
10.Soil map units in Missouri are defined by slope range classes. The ranges of the slope range classes used are 0 to 3 percent, 3 to 8 percent, 8 to 15 percent, 15 to 20 percent, 20 to 35 percent, and 35 to 60 percent slopes.
a.What is the slope range in the area surrounding the pit? (2 pt)
b.What is the slope range between the flags near the pit? (2 pt)
Section 4. Using the Soil Survey Report
11.What general soil association is the Battlefield located in? (1 pt)
12.Peridge silt loam, 2 to 5 percent slopes, is one of the map units listed for this area. What is the suitability of on-site septic rank absorption fields for this map unit? Why? (2 pt)
13.What is the expected corn yield for the soil mapped in farmer Rays cornfield? (1 pt)
14.Urban development is occurring more frequently in this area.
a.In which of the following map units would you consider building a walkout basement? 10, 2B, or 43D? (1 pt)
b.On what map unit characteristic did you base your answer? (1 pt)
Section 5. Soil Properties and Characteristics
15.The subsoil that you can observe in the pit is red in color. Why? (1 pt)
16.Soils with fragipans are a part of the Ozark highlands catena of soils. How do fragipans affect the movement of water and available water in the soil? (3 pt)
17.Leaking and poorly designed onsite septic systems are a major source of non-point pollution. How would the texture and structure of the soil affect the amount of non-point pollution in this area? (2 pt)
SOILS EMPHASIS
18.This area was used to produce crops in 1861. How would the soils of the area have affected production? (5 pt)
19.During the battle this area was known as “Siegel’s Last Position”. How would the landscape position have impacted this as choice for troops? (5 pt)
20.If re-establishment of native grass species was accomplished on the Battlefield, how would soils be affected? (5 pt)
21.Quantity and quality of wildlife are related to the fertility of the soils where they live. Explain why this statement is true. (4 pt)
22.Why do the glade soils have a dark colored surface layer and what could you infer about how they were formed, based on this knowledge? (3 pt)
23.How did the European settlers approach the use of land differently from the Native Americans? (4 pt)
24.What can be learned from undisturbed glades and prairies that might impact the current use of land? (4 pt)
25.How would the Karst topography and the associated soils affect the quality of the water coming from the springbox? (3 pt)
26.List 5 variables that affect how erosional processes occur in karst areas. (5 pt)
27.If you dug a soil pit at the location marked with flag A, what characteristics would you most likely find? (7 pt)
28.The soil at this site has 12 inches/30 cm of mollic epipedon and base saturation of 70% throughout the profile. Was this soil developed under forest or prairie vegetation? (4 pt)
29.Missouri is one of the leading states in the production of charcoal, walnut and red cedar logs and lumber, barrel staves, oak flooring, and wooden pallets. Many farmers in the Ozarks sell their timber to lumber mills and are employed part-time by the mills. Why isn’t this specific location a lumber producing site? (5 pt)
30.Removing trees from this site (mechanical or prescribed burn) to restore savanna may have an adverse affect on the soil resource. Discuss Best Management Practices for each method to protect the soil. (6 pt)