Getting the Dirt on Soils

Presented by Name, Position

Member/Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America

4 Basic Soil Processes

General Pathway

Soils are DynamicWhat are the 4 basic processes that occur in the soil?

Additions (+)• Material(s) that can be added to

the soil – Organic– Mineral– Nutrients– Water

• Specific processes– Leaf fall (litter)– Rain and Snow (precipitation)– Fertilization– Deposition

Losses (-)• Material(s) removed from the

soil body– Organic– Mineral– Nutrients– Water

• Specific processes– Leaching– Erosion– Plant Uptake– Evaporation– Evapotranspriation (ET)

Translocations (↕)• Material(s) moved within the soil

body– Organic– Mineral– Nutrients– Water

• Specific processes– Eluviation– Illuviation– Salt and movement of

other soluble materials– Water infiltration– Burrowing– Mechanical disturbances

Transformations (↔)• Material(s) altered within the soil

body– Organic– Mineral– Nutrients– Water

• Specific processes– Decomposition– Freeze-thaw– Compaction– Dissolving solids– Mineral formation

Examples

Dust Bowl

Questions?Questions?

The UN Declared 2015 as the International Year of Soils (IYS) to bring more attention to this important natural resource. The Soil Science Society of America celebrates IYS and is happy to bring you this presentation. We hope you take the time to learn more about soils at the many resources listed at the end of this presentation, as you learn more about how…

Soils Sustain Life

Thank you for listening!For further information, visit:

Soils.org/discover-soils – information about all things soil!Soils4teachers.org – Lesson plans, activities, etc. for teachers

Soils4kids.org – activities for the K-12 audienceFollow us on facebook.com/iheartsoil

Soils sustain life!