Soil Formation and Properties

By Amelia Pierce, Megan Berger, & Madison Sherrill

Introduction

Background

The soil everywhere provides a home for many living creatures. These soils are formed by 3
types of weathering; mechanical, biological, and chemical. One of the most powerful break down
agents is water. Soil is organized into 4 horizons. The first horizon is A, it is darker and more
fertile. B is the next; it is usually clay and decomposing organic matter. Next is the C horizon,
this is broken down rock. Soil can have many textures; they are determined by the different
materials it contains. The structure of the soil effects how long it takes for water and other liquids
to filter through it. Bulk density (BD) shows how much the soil weights.

The purpose of this experiment is to test how easily water runs through several biomes.

Formulas

Porosity = 100% - [BD/PD (particle density) x 100]

Hypothesis

The colored water will filter through the Desert the quickest.

Materials

plastic cup of sand 3 1” squares of cheesecloth

plastic cup of clay 3 large vials

plastic cup of humus funnel

plastic cup of course sand large beaker

3 plastic columns 6 twist ties

3 rubber bands measuring spoon

bottle of food coloring pipet

scissors graduated cylinder

paper towels waste container

plastic cup plastic spoon

hand lens spray bottle of water

balance weigh boats

Procedure

Soil Organization:

1. The three plastic columns, three large vials, cheesecloth, pipet, scissors, three rubber
bands, six zip ties, large beaker, and the measuring spoon were acquired.
2. The beaker was filled with 100 mL of tap water.
3. The cheesecloth was cut into 1-in squares to fit securely over the end of the plastic
columns. Then, it was secured with a rubber band. This was then repeated with the other
two columns.
4. Soil profiles were created for three different ecosystems: desert, temperate rain forest,
and a prairie. The sand, course sand, humus, and clay were used to create the O, A, B and
C horizons. To create the models, the empty plastic cup and plastic spoon was used to
mix the soil quantities listed in the soil profile table.
Habitat O A B C
Desert None ¼ tsp sand ½ tsp sand ½ tsp coarse
¼ tsp clay sand
Prairie ¼ tsp humus ¼ tsp humus ¼ tsp sand ¼ tsp course
¼ tsp sand sand
¼ tsp clay
Temperate Rain ¼ tsp humus ¼ tsp humus ¼ tsp clay ¼ tsp sand
Forest ¼ tsp sand
¼ tsp clay

5. Twist ties were used to suspend the columns in the vials, with the cheesecloth about 3 cm
above the bottom of the vial.
6. 1 drop of food coloring was added to the top of each column. This represented the plant
nutrients available at the surface of each habitat.
7. 2 mL of water was added to each column using a pipet. This simulated the rainfall for
each habitat.
8. The colored water was observed as it penetrated each horizon.
9. Water was continually added to each column, 2 mL at a time until the water washed
through the column and dripped into the vial.
10. The observations and measurements were recorded.

Data

According to the data we collected from the experiment, the Desert biome was the biome to filter
the water the quickest. The second fastest was the Prairie, then the Temperate Rain Forest.
Analysis & Conclusion

We believe the desert was the quickest because it has the biggest particles out of the three
biomes. The Temperate Rain Forest was the slowest because it has the most clay out of the three
biomes, and water dos not filter through clay very well because of how small the particles are.
According to the data, my hypothesis was accepted; the water did filter through the desert the
quickest.

Discussion

By conducting this experiment, I now know which biome filters water the quickest and why. I
also know what each of these three biomes are composed of and what layer of their horizon
holds.