Exam Schedule

Exam I: Friday, May 22

nd


Exam II: Friday June 5
th


Exam III: Friday June 19
th

Review sessions will be on the Thursday preceding the exam.
Soil Texture
Three separates: Sand, Silt, Clay
Importance: indicator of pore size, surface area, water movement, reactivity
There are 12 textural classes based on relative abundance of sand, silt, clay
Florida soils tend to range from sandy to sandy clay textures
Texture-by-feel assesses grittiness, smoothness, plasticity to estimate texture
Laboratory analysis relies on sedimentation of soil particles in water
Stokes Law determines the settling rates of particles from water
Large particles (sand) settle quickly, small particles slowly.
A hydrometer measures the density of a soil suspension
Based on the density, the mass of particles remaining suspended is determined
Particle Size Large/coarse Medium Fine/Small
Sand
Loamy Sand
Sandy Loam
Sandy clay Loam
Silty clay Loam
Silt Loam
Loam
Clay Loam
Sandy Clay
Silty Clay
Clay
Pore Size Large Medium Small
Reactivity Weak Moderate Strong
Texture
Texture and Civilization?
Tigris-Euphrates
Nile
Earliest Civilizations
Civilization
Year-round supply of water
Enduring Sunlight
Trustworthy harvests
Building materials
Population increases
Substantial homes
Relative Safety, peace
Neolithic Founder Crops
Wheat
Barley
Flax
Chick Pea
Lentil
cows, goats, sheep, and pigs
Nile
Jordan
Tigris
Euphrates
Periodic Flooding
Flooding
Flooding and Soil Texture
Sand 2.0-.05 mm
Silt 0.05 0.002 mm
Clay < 0.002 mm
Clay
Sand 1 mm V = 112 cm/sec
Silt 0.05 mm V = 0.281 cm/sec
Clay 0.002 mm V = 0.0004 cm/sec
Stokes Law: V = kD
2
K = 11,241 cm
-1
sec
-1
Flooding slows flow
River channel
Sedimentation
Sand Clays/Silts
Flood peaks in mid-September
Blue Nile
The Nile
Kenya
Uganda
Tanzania
Mesopotamia
Euphrates
Alluvial Plain
Flood: March through June

Agriculture and Irrigation
Irrigation
Canals
Dikes
Weirs
Reservoirs
channels
History and Soil Texture
(knowledge from clay and stone)
Stone and Clay
Egypt

Sumer
Stone
Clay
Architecture and Sculpture
Egypt
The Language of Power
sacred, ceremonial, literary, and scientific language
Sumerian
Soil Structure, Density, Porosity
Soil Structure
Arrangement or grouping of individual soil particles into secondary units.
Soil Structure
Peds
Aggregates
Units of soil Structure
Chemical Processes
electrostatic attraction between clay
particles and between organic particles.

Biological Processes
-macro-organisms (burrowing, tunneling,wastes)
-roots, fungal hyphae (compression, fibers, exudates)
-microorganisms (organic residues)
Formation
Soil Structure
Importance
Effects on porosity, water retention, water movement
Small pores
Large pores
Intra-aggregate pores
Inter-aggregate pores
(within)
(between)
Water moves easily and is poorly retained in inter-aggregate pores
Water moves slowly and is strongly retained in intra-aggregate pores
Soil Structure is Desirable
Poor soil structure can
inhibit infiltration of
water, water movement,
growth of roots.

Structure is the arrangement or grouping of
individual soil particles into larger secondary units.
Clays and organic matter possess natural electrical
Charge which can electrostatically bind particles together.
Macro-organisms and microorganisms can aid in
binding of individual particles into larger aggregates..
Aggregation allows for both movement and retention
of water via macropores and micropores, respectively..
Poor soil structure can inhibit infiltration of
water, water movement, growth of roots.
Summary
Soil Density
Density
Density = Mass
Volume
g
cm
3
(
)
2.65 g/cm
3
Soil Bulk Density
Density of soil including the particles and
the pore spaces
x
y
z
Volume = xyz
B.D. ranges between 1.1 and 1.6 g/cm
3

(for mineral soil with 1 5% organic matter)

BD = mass OD soil
volume solids + pores
Bulk vs. Particle Density
Bulk density measures the mass of the soil solids in
relation to the volume of the soil solids and the soil pores.

x

y

z

Particle density =

Mass of particle

Volume of particle

No pores




Bulk density = mass solids
volume xyz
BD = 1.6 g/cm3
PD = 2.65 g/cm
3
Sampling for Density
Known Volume
Known Volume
Dry and Weigh: mass/volume = Bulk Density
Factors Affecting Bulk Density
organic matter
aggregation
arrangement of particles
compaction
depth in profile
Porosity
(pores are weightless)
Organic Matter
Typical 1-5% organic matter
Mineral Soil:
bulk density = 1.1 1.6 g/cm
3
Organic Soils: > 20% organic matter

bulk density = 0.1 0.6 g/cm
3
Factors Affecting Bulk Density
Aggregation
One sand grain
One aggregate of
Clay sized particles
(Zero porosity)
(50% porosity)
Aggregation generally increases overall porosity, decreases density
Packing Arrangement
Discrete particle size classes
Continuum of particle sizes
Particle
Size
Arrangement
(compaction)
Sorting
Depth in Profile
Lower organic matter
Fewer roots
Compaction from above
=> Higher bulk density
Aggregation can mitigate
Some of these effects.
Summary
Bulk densities of typical mineral soils
range between 1.0 and 1.6 g/cm
3
.
Organic matter increases porosity, decreases BD
Organic soils can have BD as low as 0.1 g/cm
3
.
Compaction decreases porosity, increases BD
Aggregation increases porosity, decreases BD
Depth in profile decreases porosity, increases BD
Porosity
Bulk Density and Total Porosity
0 2.65
Bulk Density (g/cm
3
)
100% Porosity
)
(
BD
PD
1 - % Porosity =
[
]
X 100
2.65 g/cm
3
Bulk density high porosity low
Bulk density low porosity high
A


E

B

BD = 1.1 g/cm
3


BD = 1.15 g/cm
3

BD = 1.6 g/cm
3
P = 59 %

P = 57%


P = 40 %
Bulk Density and Porosity
A
E
B
Pore Size Distribution
Macropores > 0.8 mm in diameter
large, freely draining
sands, inter-aggregate pores



Micropores < 0.8 mm in diameter
small, storage of water
clays, intra-aggregate pores
The effect of total porosity and of
pore size distribution is largely
related to the movement and
retention of water as well as
the movement of soil gases
Knowledge of texture, structure, bulk density,
and porosity allow deduction of the patterns
of movement of water and gases in soils
Next: Water in Soils