5.15 - Capstone Questions for Lesson 5 and Soil Region Resources

Space explorers have discovered a new planet!

The Space Exploration Agency wishes to identify the soil types present at several possible landing locations on the newly discovered planet, Zeus.

Your mission as an Earth Scientist is to assess the soil properties present at the potential landing sites.

Activity: Predict the soil order present at several different locations on Planet Zeus. Make your predictions based on your knowledge of soil orders and the information presented on the map and in the table below.

Image of a globe with points 1-12 listed on them.
Site Parent Material Climate/Moisture Regime Native Vegetation Topography
1 Old Silty Alluvium Hot and humid Rainforest Mountains and foothills
2 Sandy Alluvium of moderate age Cool and wet Conifer forest Coastal plains and mountains
3 Loamy Glacial Till of moderate age Warm and humid Deciduous, hardwood forest Hilly river valleys and plains
4 Loess, of moderate age Warm and somewhat dry Prairie grassland High plains
5 Aeolian sand Hot Summer Cold winter and somewhat dry Mixed prairie grasses Rolling sand dunes, stabilized by grasses
6 Residuum and Colluvium of igneous rocks Warm summer, Cold winter, Mediterranean precipitation pattern Conifer forest, aspens, brushy meadows Older mountains, foothills
7 Weathered Igneous rocks, fine-silty Alluvium Warm and humid Mixed hardwood/conifer forest Coastal plains and foothills, older mountains
8 Silty Marine Sediments Hot and dry Sagebrush and creosote bush Plains
9 Developed Lacustrine - Very fine silt and swelling clays Warm and somewhat dry Mixed prairie grasses and scrub bush Plains
10 Volcanic Ash and Cinders Warm and humid  Tropical forest Mountains
11 Organic Material over Glacial Till and Outwash Cool and wet climate Marshy shrubs and bushes, grasses Coastal plains and lowlands
12 Glacial Till and Outwash Very cold and wet Conifer forest Woody shrubs Coastal plains and mountains

Quiz

Question

The probable Soil Order of Location 1 on the map above is:  

Looks Good! Correct: Yes! The combination of high temperatures and heavy precipitation cause soil minerals to weather and become acidic. These are the most heavily weathered soils.

Quiz

Question

The probable Soil Order of Location 2 on the map above is:    

Looks Good! Correct: Yes! Spodosols commonly form in sandy parent materials under coniferous forest vegetation. Generally coarse textured, they are acidic and have a high leaching potential.

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Question

The probable Soil Order of Location 3 on the map above is:    

Looks Good! Correct: Yes! The climate here is conducive to mid-latitude deciduous hardwood forest. This type of vegetation at this latitude would likely lead to formation of Alfisols.

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Question

The probable Soil Order of Location 4 on the map above is:     

Looks Good! Correct: Yes! This combination of climate and grassland vegetation would likely promote the formation of Mollisols.

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Question

The probable Soil Order of Location 5 on the map above is:    

Looks Good! Correct: Yes! Entisols are young soils with little or no profile development. Here, the sandy parent material will likely be resistant to weathering, and the dry climate will limit plant growth, resulting in little or no horizon development.

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Question

The probable Soil Order of Location 6 on the map above is:  

Looks Good! Correct: Yes! Inceptisol soils have some profile development (the inception of horizons). Soil formation here may be limited by the hard parent material, or erosion off the steeply sloping topography. However the climate is wet enough to support substantial vegetation. Some profile (horizon) development is probable.

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Question

The probable Soil Order of Location 7 on the map above is:      

Looks Good! Correct: Yes! Ultisols are intensely weathered soils of warm and humid climates. They are typically formed on older geologic locations under forest vegetation.

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Question

The probable Soil Order of Location 8 on the map above is:      

Looks Good! Correct: Yes! Water deficiency is the dominant characteristic of Aridisols with adequate moisture for plant growth present for no more than 90 days at a time.

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Question

The probable Soil Order of Location 9 on the map above is:   

Looks Good! Correct: Yes! Vertisols are soils with a high content of clay minerals that shrink and swell as they change water content.

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Question

The probable Soil Order of Location 10 on the map above is:   

Looks Good! Correct: Yes! Andisols form in ash and cinders near or downwind from volcanic areas.

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Question

The probable Soil Order of Location 11 on the map above is:    

Looks Good! Correct: Yes! Histosols can form in wetland areas of any climate where plants can grow such as bogs, marshes, and swamps, but are most commonly formed in cool climates.

Quiz

Question

The probable Soil Order of Location 12 on the map above is:

Looks Good! Correct: Yes! These are soils with permafrost (frozen) within 2 meters of the surface. Gelisols form in cold climates like this.

Additional links to soil region materials: 

The USDA  'Twelve Orders of Soil Taxonomy' Poster

Find lots of U.S. national maps at http://nationalatlas.gov/mapmaker

For world soil regions, classified using U.S. soil taxonomy, go to World Soil Resources.

Need outline maps of the U.S. and individual states?  Find them at http://nationalatlas.gov/printable.html.

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