(Per group)
2 - 3 small shovels or garden trowels
4 2-liter clear cola bottles (cut in half)
Drip, drip, drip percolation rates of soil
Filter paper or paper towel
Magnifiers (dissecting scope if available)
Plastic beaker that measures 500 ml of water
Soil samples from two different areas
Soil test kit
Stop watch or watch with second hand
Calcium – soft grey alkaline earth metal; the fifth most abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust that is essential for living organisms, particularly in cell physiology
Chemical weathering – breakdown of rocks, soils and minerals by atmospheric chemicals or biologically produced chemicals; also known as biological weathering
Clay – soil made of very fine particles, usually silicates of aluminum and/or iron and magnesium; absorbs water slowly and retains it for a long time
Erosion – the natural process by which the surface of the earth is worn away by the action of water, glaciers, winds, waves, etc
Horizon (A, B, C, R) – specific layer in the soil which measures parallel to the soil surface and possesses physical characteristics which differ from the layers above and beneath; horizon formation is a function of a range of geological, chemical and biological processes and occurs over long time periods
Humus – dark organic part of soil formed from decaying plants and animals, often called topsoil, which improves the soil’s fertility and water-holding ability
Legume – plant in the pea family (Fabaceae or Leguminosae) or a fruit of these plants; legume fruit usually opens along a seam on two sides; common name for this type of fruit is a "pod,” includes alfalfa, clover, peas, beans, lentils, lupins, mesquite, carob and peanuts
Loam – a rich, fertile soil containing clay, sand, silt and humus
Magnesium – alkaline earth metal that constitutes about 2 percent of the Earth's crust by mass, making it the eighth most abundant element in the crust; a common additive to fertilizers
Mechanical weathering – breakdown of rocks and minerals by frost, wind and tree roots with no chemical alteration
Nitrogen – nonmetallic element that constitutes nearly four-fifths of the air, occurring as a colorless, odorless, almost inert diatomic gas in various minerals and in all proteins and used in important manufactured materials
Percolate – permeate or penetrate gradually
pH scale – measure of a liquid’s or solid’s alkalinity, represented on a scale of 0 to 14 with 7 being a neutral state, 0 the most acidic and 14 the most alkaline
Phosphorous – nonmetallic chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15; normally a white phosphorescent, waxy solid, becoming yellow when exposed to light; poisonous and unites easily with oxygen so that it ignites spontaneously at room temperature
Potassium – light, soft, silver-white metallic element of the alkali metal group; oxidizes rapidly in air and reacts violently with water
Rhizobium – nitrogen-fixing bacteria of the genus Rhizobium that form nodules on the roots of leguminous plants, such as clover and beans
Sandy soil – soil with large particles that drain quickly and hold nutrients poorly; has a gritty texture formed from weathered rocks such as limestone, quartz, granite and shale
Sulfur – pale yellow, nonmetallic element occurring widely in nature in several free and combined allotropic forms; used in black gunpowder, rubber vulcanization, the manufacture of insecticides and pharmaceuticals and the preparation of sulfur compounds such as hydrogen sulfide and sulfuric acid