Class Schedule and Assignments

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1 Class Schedule and Assignments Course Title: Soil Morphology and Mapping (PLNTSOIL 597T) Instructor: Time: Peter Fletcher Home phone: (774) Cell phone: (508) Address: 27 Shore Acres Road, South Dartmouth, MA Designated Fridays, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Spring 2014 Scheduled meetings locations and directions are listed below: Friday, March 21 Friday, April 4 Friday, April 18 Friday, May 2 Cape Cod Community College*, 2240 Iyanough Road, West Barnstable Call , if lost. Great Brook Farm State Park, 984 Lowell Road, Carlisle, The meeting room at the Hart Barn. Call , if lost. Cape Cod Community College, 2240 Iyanough Road, West Barnstable Call , if lost. University of Massachusetts*, Amherst Friday, May 16 University Rhode Island*, South Kingston, RI. Friday, May 30 Friday, June 13 Berkshire Community College* satellite campus in Great Barrington, MA (Route 7, center of Town). Call , if lost Moose Hill Audubon, 293 Moose Hill Street, Sharon, MA 02067, (781) , *Will be sending out room numbers and Building when they are available.

2 Class Outline and Assignments Friday, March 21, 2014 Location: Cape Cod Community College, 2240 Iyanough Road, West Barnstable If lost, call Lecture: Glacial history and Landforms of New England Soil Parent Materials: Glacial till, bedrock, outwash, lacustrine sediments (lakebed), loess and eolian sediments (windblown sands and silts) alluvial deposits (floodplain), organic deposits, and marine sediments (tidal marshes, beaches, and dunes). Field Trip: Traverse different landforms and landscapes 1. Review the handouts for this class. 2. Read the Geologic Map of Cape Cod and the Islands, and the Geology Map for the Bridgewater Quadrangle (class handout). 3. Soil Survey Manual (Resource Materials at pfdigsoil.com), read the part of Chapter 3 on Particle Size Distribution and Soil Color. 4. Read handouts for the next class session. 5. Complete the study sheet for this section. 6. Identify and secure access to your field study site. Bring to class a copy of a USGS Topo Map with the location of your field study site. 7. Download and study the reference materials for our next class and field trip. Friday, April 4, 2014 Location: Great Brook Farm State Park, 984 Lowell Road, Carlisle. The meeting room at the Hart Barn. Call , if lost. Questions and answer session

3 Review study sheet for Geology and Soil Parent Materials Lecture : Field method for determining Soil Texture USDA Soil Textural Classes Soil textural triangle Field method for determining soil textural classes Hands on exercises determining soil textural classes and documenting soil colors Field Trip: Landforms and soil profiles 1. Soil Survey Manual, read part of Chapter 3, Designations for Horizons and Other Layers. 2. Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2011, read Chapter Review the handouts on Soil Texture and Soil Color. 4. Complete the study sheet for this section. 5. At your field study site, walk the terrain and identify the different landforms. Dig 2 holes and document the kind of parent material. 6. Download and study the reference materials for our next class and field trip. Friday, April 18, 2014 Location: Cape Cod Community College, 2240 Iyanough Road, West Barnstable Call , if lost. Question and answer session Review Study Sheet: Soil textures and soil parent materials Lecture: Soil Color and, Horizons and Layers: Review of soil texture

4 Soil coloring agents Munsell Soil Color System Field method for determining soil colors Soil Formation in New England Soil profile nomenclature Soil master horizons Subordinate distinctions (lower case letters) Field Trip: Dig soil test pits on different landscapes, and describe and document soil profiles using the soil log sheet of your choice. 1. Review handouts on soil horizons and layers 2. Complete the study sheet for this section. 3. At your field study, dig two test pits and record the different horizons and layers using a Soil Investigations / Field Notes Form. You are only responsible for documenting the information that we have covered in class. 4. Download and study the reference materials for the next session s field trip. Friday, May 2, 2014: Location: University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA. Question and answer session Review Study Sheet: Horizons and layers (only master horizon designations). Lecture: Review and continuation of discussion on soil horizons and layers.

5 Field Trip: Dig soil test pits on different landscapes, and describe and document soil profiles 1. Review handouts on groundwater and redoximorphic features. 2. Read booklet, Redoximorphic Features for Identifying Aquic Conditions by Michael J. Vepraskas. 3. Complete the study sheet for this section. 4. At your field study, dig two test pits and record the different horizons and layers using a Soil Investigations / Field Notes Form. You are only responsible for documenting the information that we have covered in class. 5. Download and study the reference materials for the next sessions field trip Friday, May 16, 2014: Location: University of Rhode Island, South Kingston, RI Question and answer session Study Sheet: Soil horizons and layers Lecture: Soil Redoximorphic features Groundwater and understanding different groundwater systems Kinds of redoximorphic features How redoximorphic features form in the soil Estimating the depth to seasonal high water table using soil features USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service soil drainage classes Field Trip: Log test pits on different landscapes, and describe and document soil profiles

6 1. Soil Survey Manual, Chapter 3, read sections on Soil Structure and Consistence. 2. Download and study the reference materials for the next sessions field trip 3. Complete the study sheet for this section. 4. At your field study, dig two test pits on different positions on the landscape and record the different horizons and layers using a Soil Investigations / Field Notes Form. You are only responsible for documenting the information that we have covered in class. 5. Download and study the reference materials for the next sessions field trip Friday, May 30, 2014: Location: Berkshire Community College satellite campus in Great Barrington, MA (Route 7, center of Town). Call , if lost Question and answer session Study Sheet: Groundwater and redoximorphic features. Lecture: Soil structure, soil consistence, and other features What is soil structure Different kinds of soil structure Field method for determining soil structure What is soil consistence Different kinds of soil structure Field method for determining soil consistence Roots and other soil features (landscape position). Field Trip: 1. Describing and documenting redox features in the field

7 2. Describing and documenting soil profiles in the field 3. Determining soil drainage class 1. Review handouts on hydric soils 2. Review hydric soil material on the Web ( and 3. Complete the study sheet for this section. 4. At your field study, dig two test pits within a wetland area and record the different horizons and layers using a Soil Investigations / Field Notes Form. You are only responsible for documenting the information that we have covered in class. 5. Download and study the reference materials for the next sessions field trip Friday, June 13, 2014: Location: Moose Hill Audubon, 293 Moose Hill Street, Sharon, MA 02067, (781) , Study Sheet: Soil structure, consistence, and drainage class. Lecture: Identifying, Documenting, and Delineating Hydric Soils in the Field What is a hydric soil Field indicators for identifying hydric soils Field methods for identifying and delineating hydric soils Field Exercise: Documenting and delineating hydric soils. Complete your field diary. Field Diary Each student will be required to maintain a field diary for the class. The diary will be divided into two sections. Section 1 will contain the reference materials for each class field

8 session as well as the student s field notes for that day. Section 2 of the diary will contain the student s field notes that were taken at their Field Study Sites. The field diary will mailed to the instructor within 2 weeks of the last day of class. Pete s address is 27 Shore Acres Road, South Dartmouth, MA Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope so that your field diary can be returned. Suggested References and Equipment for Class 1. References listed (hot links) on Pete s web site at 2. Highly recommend Field Book for Describing and Sampling soils, Version 3.0, National Soil Survey Center, Natural Resources Conservation Service, US Department of Agriculture. 3. Redoximorphic Features for Identifying Aquic Conditions (Technical Bulletin 301) by Mike Vepraskas. Order: Department of Agricultural Communications, Box 7603, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina Telephone Soil color book (if you need to borrow one, ask Pete) 5. Tile spade (recommended) 6. Soil auger (recommended) 7. Field notebook 8. Soil Profile Description forms (originals provided by instructor, you make your own copies). 9. Clip board 10. Six foot tape measure 11. Trowel and/or knife 12. Water bottle 13. Sun block 14. Insect repellant * Please mark all equipment with your name.

Geology and New England Landscapes

Geology and New England Landscapes Jim Turenne, CPSS USDA-NRCS Warwick, RI. http://nesoil.com Why Geology? Provides the big picture of site conditions. Major part of soil formation (parent material and