Dig it Web quest
Name________________________________
“Dig It!” Exhibition
Follow the directions to navigate your way through the online exhibition of “Dig It!” put together by the Smithsonian. The bold text mean you need to answer a question or write something down.
Go to this web site: http://forces.si.edu/soils/02_00_00.html
Read the introduction titled “Sizing Up Soils”
Click on “The Big Picture” and take the Quiz, if you miss a question click on the “Learn More” and learn about the topic.
What is one interesting fact about soil that you learned from the quiz?
That soil is warm in Alaska.
Click on “State Soil Monoliths” click on Texas then choose 2 other states and read about their soil. What is a Fun Fact about Texas soil?
Houston Black soils are very rich even when climate is dry (especially rich in clay minerals)
What is in the soil of one other state? Tell me the name of the state.
Cecil soil supports corn and cotton and are productive when managed carefully for erosion.(NC)
What is so special about the soil of one other state? Tell me the name of the state, it needs to be different from Texas, and the state in the question above.
Orovada soil supports semi-arid deserts and grasslands. and also prime fore farmland.
Click on “What is Soil” read through all 5 pages and answer these questions.
A teaspoon of good farm soil contains up to __1 billion____________ bacteria in more than 4000 species.
Soil is the ____life____________ of the earth. Soils are _____respired_________, they are born, they age, they breathe.
What are the ingredients of soil?
—bugs, bacteria, fungi, feces, nematodes, worms, roots, rotting plants, ice, minerals
What is the today’s secret ingredient?
complex and variable mixture of minerals, air, water, decaying remains of life, and countless living organisms.
Who are the judges?
Quincy Carapace, Gassy Gallagher, and Sylvania
On page 4 click on the “Recipe Book” read some of the different soil recipes. Then click on the “Soil ingredients” take the quiz to see if you can determine the makeup of different types of soils.
What % of ingredients make up Desert Soil?
53% Minerals, 44%air, 2%water, 1% organic matter
Loamy Soil?
45% minerals, 25% air, 25% water, 5% organic matter
Peaty Bog?
50% water, 40% organic matter, 10% minerals
Read page 5. What does CLORPT stand for?
Climate, organisms, relief, parent material and time
Click on “Chip off the Old Block” read through all 6 pages.
95% of the earth’s crust is made of just eight elements. What are they?
Oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium
Texture influences a soil’s capacity to _hold water and nutrients______________.
On page 6 play the Color Matching game.
Gray.Blue.Green = Wetland mineral soils
Red.Yellow.Orange = Upland soils
Click on “Soil Forming Factors” read through all 6 pages. On page 2 play the Hidden Horizons game.
Describe the A horizon.
A mineral layer at or near the surface, with more soil organic matter into lower levels
What is a monolith?
vertical slice from topsoil down to subsoil, preserves a soil’s colors and layered horizons in position.
On page 4 click on the “Earth Skin Types”. Describe Ultisols.
water carries nutrients downward and deposits layer of clay under surface
What type of soil is in our area?
Ultisols
On page 6 click play the “Where in the Soil World are You”.
The flip flop is in the ___south pacific valcanoe__________________ soil type.
The spur is in the _____South American Grasslands_______________________________________ soil type.
The mammoth tusk is in the ______Siberian Perafrost_____________________________ soil type.
Click on “Matters of Life and Death”, read through all 6 pages.
Not all forms of life need oxygen to breathe. What other things can microorganisms use?
Microorganisms can use iron, sulfur, nitrogen, or carbon instead of oxygen
Describe some of the characteristics of Lichens.
A lichen is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria (or both) living among filaments of a fungus in a symbiotic relationship.
Click on “Underneath it All”, read through all 5 pages. On page 1 click on the “Underneath it All” link to dig deep and examine the effects our choices have on soil.
What are some of the things that you may find in the Washington, D.C. soil sample?
drowning cherry tree roots, man made soils
What are some of the things that you may find in the Terra Preta Soil of the Amazon?
broken pottery and unaffected tropical soil
On page 3. What is an increasing problem caused by global warming?
the water that was frozen in the pores of the soil thaws and runs down slope carrying some of the soil and minerals with it
On page 4. What was wrong with the soil in Fredericksburg, Virginia?
grass wouldn't grow in the lawns of newer built houses
Click on “Wise Choices” read through all 7 pages.
Soils are renewable but… it takes lots of time and money
Describe some of the new technology that helps manage soil fertility.
plows
How is the Millennium Villages Project restoring soil fertility?
received mineral fertilizer then add manure and compost
Click on “A World of Soils”, read through all 6 pages. On page 1 watch the “Soil: The secret Ingredient” video.
On page 3. Define loess: losely compacted sediments
“The secrets of soils are the secrets of our lives.”
“Dig It!” Exhibition
Follow the directions to navigate your way through the online exhibition of “Dig It!” put together by the Smithsonian. The bold text mean you need to answer a question or write something down.
Go to this web site: http://forces.si.edu/soils/02_00_00.html
Read the introduction titled “Sizing Up Soils”
Click on “The Big Picture” and take the Quiz, if you miss a question click on the “Learn More” and learn about the topic.
What is one interesting fact about soil that you learned from the quiz?
That soil is warm in Alaska.
Click on “State Soil Monoliths” click on Texas then choose 2 other states and read about their soil. What is a Fun Fact about Texas soil?
Houston Black soils are very rich even when climate is dry (especially rich in clay minerals)
What is in the soil of one other state? Tell me the name of the state.
Cecil soil supports corn and cotton and are productive when managed carefully for erosion.(NC)
What is so special about the soil of one other state? Tell me the name of the state, it needs to be different from Texas, and the state in the question above.
Orovada soil supports semi-arid deserts and grasslands. and also prime fore farmland.
Click on “What is Soil” read through all 5 pages and answer these questions.
A teaspoon of good farm soil contains up to __1 billion____________ bacteria in more than 4000 species.
Soil is the ____life____________ of the earth. Soils are _____respired_________, they are born, they age, they breathe.
What are the ingredients of soil?
—bugs, bacteria, fungi, feces, nematodes, worms, roots, rotting plants, ice, minerals
What is the today’s secret ingredient?
complex and variable mixture of minerals, air, water, decaying remains of life, and countless living organisms.
Who are the judges?
Quincy Carapace, Gassy Gallagher, and Sylvania
On page 4 click on the “Recipe Book” read some of the different soil recipes. Then click on the “Soil ingredients” take the quiz to see if you can determine the makeup of different types of soils.
What % of ingredients make up Desert Soil?
53% Minerals, 44%air, 2%water, 1% organic matter
Loamy Soil?
45% minerals, 25% air, 25% water, 5% organic matter
Peaty Bog?
50% water, 40% organic matter, 10% minerals
Read page 5. What does CLORPT stand for?
Climate, organisms, relief, parent material and time
Click on “Chip off the Old Block” read through all 6 pages.
95% of the earth’s crust is made of just eight elements. What are they?
Oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium
Texture influences a soil’s capacity to _hold water and nutrients______________.
On page 6 play the Color Matching game.
Gray.Blue.Green = Wetland mineral soils
Red.Yellow.Orange = Upland soils
Click on “Soil Forming Factors” read through all 6 pages. On page 2 play the Hidden Horizons game.
Describe the A horizon.
A mineral layer at or near the surface, with more soil organic matter into lower levels
What is a monolith?
vertical slice from topsoil down to subsoil, preserves a soil’s colors and layered horizons in position.
On page 4 click on the “Earth Skin Types”. Describe Ultisols.
water carries nutrients downward and deposits layer of clay under surface
What type of soil is in our area?
Ultisols
On page 6 click play the “Where in the Soil World are You”.
The flip flop is in the ___south pacific valcanoe__________________ soil type.
The spur is in the _____South American Grasslands_______________________________________ soil type.
The mammoth tusk is in the ______Siberian Perafrost_____________________________ soil type.
Click on “Matters of Life and Death”, read through all 6 pages.
Not all forms of life need oxygen to breathe. What other things can microorganisms use?
Microorganisms can use iron, sulfur, nitrogen, or carbon instead of oxygen
Describe some of the characteristics of Lichens.
A lichen is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria (or both) living among filaments of a fungus in a symbiotic relationship.
Click on “Underneath it All”, read through all 5 pages. On page 1 click on the “Underneath it All” link to dig deep and examine the effects our choices have on soil.
What are some of the things that you may find in the Washington, D.C. soil sample?
drowning cherry tree roots, man made soils
What are some of the things that you may find in the Terra Preta Soil of the Amazon?
broken pottery and unaffected tropical soil
On page 3. What is an increasing problem caused by global warming?
the water that was frozen in the pores of the soil thaws and runs down slope carrying some of the soil and minerals with it
On page 4. What was wrong with the soil in Fredericksburg, Virginia?
grass wouldn't grow in the lawns of newer built houses
Click on “Wise Choices” read through all 7 pages.
Soils are renewable but… it takes lots of time and money
Describe some of the new technology that helps manage soil fertility.
plows
How is the Millennium Villages Project restoring soil fertility?
received mineral fertilizer then add manure and compost
Click on “A World of Soils”, read through all 6 pages. On page 1 watch the “Soil: The secret Ingredient” video.
On page 3. Define loess: losely compacted sediments
“The secrets of soils are the secrets of our lives.”