ENVR 1401 Lonestar College Introduction to Soil Lab Report

User Generated

Geathlra73

Science

ENVR 1401

Lonestar College

ENVR

Description

Instructions

  1. Read the Soil Texture lab handout, and follow the procedure.
  2. For this lab you will be collecting soil samples. The materials needed are listed in the lab handout.
  3. Do not leave the lab for the last minute. You will need about 2 to 3 days to complete the lab.
  4. Submit the lab report to this dropbox.
  5. The lab report needs to include the following:
  • Detailed observations of both locations.
  • Pictures of the jars:
    • One picture of the jars right after you first prepare them. Picture needs to include the photo label.
    • One picture of the jars from 24-48 hours after they are prepared. Picture needs to include the photo label.
  • Include the completed tables from step 19.
  • Include the graphs from step 20.
  • Answer the analysis questions from step 21.
  • Submit the lab report as one pdf document.

ENVR 1401

Photo Label

All photographs taken as part of a lab assignment will require to have an official photo label.

Use this photo label for ALL photos that are submitted as part of a lab assignment.

If you are taking a photo of an animal (since animals move) it might be unlikely that you can get the label and

the animal in the same picture. If this happens then take a selfie of you and your label in the same spot your

animal was when you took the picture.In the label provided below you will need to include your

Name (first and last name)

,Student ID #

LabTitle in pen to complete the label for each specific lab.

ENVR 1401

LSC Cy-Fair

Name: _____________________________

Student ID: ________________________

Lab Title: ____________________________

Unformatted Attachment Preview

ENVR 1401 Photo Label All photographs taken as part of a lab assignment will require to have an official photo label. Use this photo label for ALL photos that are submitted as part of a lab assignment. If you are taking a photo of an animal (since animals move) it might be unlikely that you can get the label and the animal in the same picture. If this happens then take a selfie of you and your label in the same spot your animal was when you took the picture. In the label provided below you will need to include your Name (first and last name), Student ID # and Lab Title in pen to complete the label for each specific lab. ENVR 1401 LSC Cy-Fair Name: _____________________________ Student ID: ________________________ Lab Title: _______________________________ Introduction to Soil Lab Soil is formed through the weathering of rocks and the accumulation of organic material. Soil is a renewable resource but the accumulation of topsoil is very slow. Under normal conditions topsoil accumulates at a rate of ~1mm per year. However, conventional agricultural practices cause severe topsoil erosion (extreme cases we can lose ~25mm). This is a major problem since top soil is crucial for plant growth. Soil Texture and pH Soil texture refers to the amount of sand, silt, and clay in the soil. Soil texture is an important characteristic of soils, and soil properties are influenced by the soil texture. Some soil properties include: water infiltration, nutrient- and water-holding capacity. Soil Texture Clay Silt Sand Loam Water infiltration Low Medium High Medium Nutrientholding capacity High Medium Low Medium Water-holding capacity High Medium Low Medium Scientists use a soil texture triangle to determine the texture (proportion of sand, silt & clay). Loam soils are considered the best soils for agriculture. Loam soils are a mixture of sand, silt and clay. Image from google commons You will collect soil samples for this lab. The following are the materials you will need. Materials:  2 zip lock Bags  Notebook  2 glass jars  ruler  sharpie Procedure Day 1: 1) Select two locations from which you want to collect soil samples. 2) Bring a notebook for your field notes. Remember to take detailed notes of what you observe, specifically: a. Location: Give your location with enough detail so that others would be able to locate it. b. Date: The month, day and year. c. Time: The time at which your observations begin and end. d. Weather: A description of the weather, including approximate temperature and any precipitation or cloud cover. e. Habitat: A brief description of the habitat 3) Go to your first location. 4) Take your initial field observations (see step 2). 5) Collect a soil sample and place the sample into one of the bags. 6) Now move to location #2 and repeat Steps 2-5 in the new location. 7) After collecting the sample from location #2 you will move on to the soil texture analysis. 8) Obtain two glass jars with lids. Label each jar as location #1 and location #2. 9) Fill half of the jar labeled #1 with the soil sample from location #1. 10) Add water to the jar until it is almost full, close the jar with the lid and then shake the jar until the soil is well mixed with the water. 11) Repeat steps 9 and 10 using the soil from location #2. 12) Place each jar on an area that no one will touch them, and leave them there for 24 to 48 hours until all the soil settles. Procedure Day 2 13) Obtain your jars and a ruler. 14) Using a sharpie mark the layers you see. a. The bottom layer is sand. b. The middle layer is silt. c. The top layer is clay. d. Floating material on the top of the water is the organic material. 15) Obtain the jar for location #1. a. Measure the distance (cm) from the bottom of the jar to the first line to obtain the sand depth measurement. Record the measurement in the table below labeled location #1 on step 19. b. Now measure the distance (cm) from the first line to the second line to obtain the silt depth measurement. Record the measurement in the table below labeled location #1 on step 19. c. Measure the distance (cm) from the second line to the third line to obtain the clay depth measurement. Record the measurement in the table below labeled location #1 on step 19. 16) Obtain the jar for location #2 and repeat the steps 15a-c. 17) Calculate the percent of sand, silt and clay for location #1 and enter the percent in the table in step 19. a. Measure the distance (cm) from the bottom to the third line to obtain the total depth (cm) of the soil. b. Calculate the percent for the sand, silt and clay: Example: depth sand_____ total depth of soil x 100 18) Repeat step 17 a-b for location #2. 19) Complete the following tables for each location: Location #1 Soil texture Sand Silt Clay Location #2 Soil texture Sand Depth (cm) Percent Depth (cm) Percent Silt Clay 20) Use the percentage data you calculated and create a bar graph for each location. Remember to give your graph a title and to label the x and y axis. Location #1 Location #2 21) Answer the following questions: a. Compare and contrast the soil texture of each location. b. Based on the soil texture measured, what is the water and nutrient holding capacity and water infiltration (High, Med., or Low) for each location sampled?
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Explanation & Answer

Student is required to label the 2 jar containing soil from location #1 and #2. The label should contain Name, student ID and lab Title. I assume you are the one to carry out this task

LAB REPORT ON SOIL

1

Lab Report on Soil
Name of Student
Institution

LAB REPORT ON SOIL

2
Lab Report on Soil

Introduction
Soil is a combination of organic matter, minerals, gases, fluid, and living organisms. The
primary function of land is to support plant growth, a mode of water storage, and a place where
the body lives.
The objective of the study
The experiment was conducted to compare and contrast soil texture for locations #1 and
#2. After finding out the soil texture from the sampled soil 1 and 2, we can use the information to
deduce water and nutrient holding capacity from each location.
Materials used


2 zip lock bags



Notebook



2 glass jars



Ruler



Sharpie

Procedure Day 1
Date of the experiment - 17th/4/2020
Soil samples were collected from two locations; 1 and 2.
Location #1

LAB REPORT ON SOIL
Time for observation
Start – 9:00 am
End - 10:00 am
The weather of location #1
The temperature was approximate 20...


Anonymous
Just the thing I needed, saved me a lot of time.

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