GEOL 333 - Lab #11 Information (Guidelines for Student Soil Presentations on April 8) Assignment During Lab on April 8, you will give an oral presentation about one of the 12 soil orders (categories). Due to the class size this year, there will be three groups of two students and nine students who present alone. The twelve soil orders (listed below) will be assigned randomly. The presentation must be 3-5 minutes in length with several minutes for questions. There are twelve presentations to give in one hour and 50 minutes, and the time limit must be enforced strictly. For the presentations with two students, each student should give ~half of the presentation. All presentations of soil orders must include the following: (a) Soil Order Characteristics - including presence and development of soil horizons, soil fertility, any other significant soil properties, and any characteristic age, vegetation and soil minerals, if applicable, (b) Environment of Formation - features of climate, bedrock composition and topography, if applicable, (c) Distribution in USA and World - Locations in USA and the world where the soil order occurs and why it occurs there. You must also turn in a typed outline of your presentation before you give your presentation. Make sure to include a list of references. The outline should include all of the key information in your oral presentation, and it should be in a similar sequence as your oral presentation. Make sure to give an effective presentation, which includes a good opening and closing as well as good organization. You should practice your presentation to ensure that you are within the time guidelines and that you deliver it effectively. Prof. Altaner will attend the presentations. Soil Orders (and informal name) Alfisol = deciduous forest soil Andisol = formed on volcanic ash Aridisol = desert soil Entisol = alluvium soil Gelisol = tundra soil Histosol = organic soil Inceptisol = young soils Mollisol = prairie soils Oxisol = tropical soil/laterite Spodosol = coniferous forest soil Ultisol = sub-tropical Vertisol = swelling soil Purpose The purpose of this exercise is to introduce you to the variety of soil types based on own research and the oral presentations of fellow students. In addition, you get to practice your communication skills.
Grading 25 pts. for Content (based on accuracy and coverage) o 9 pts. for Soil order characteristics o 9 pts. for Environment of Formation o 7 pts. for Distribution in USA and World 5 pts. for Style (use of effective opening and closing statements, organization, delivery) Total = 30 pts Up to 5 Extra Credit points may be given based on creativity, handouts, visual aids, or other special features of the presentation. Web Site References (these links are available on Class Web site) A couple of good Web sites with information and photos of the 12 soil orders are: Twelve Soil Orders: Soil Taxonomy (Univ. of Idaho) <http://soils.cals.uidaho.edu/soilorders/> There is excellent information about each soil order including photos and maps of their distribution in USA and the world at: <http://soils.cals.uidaho.edu/soilorders/orders.htm>. Natural Resources Conservation Service Soils Website (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture) <http://soils.usda.gov/> There is loads of information here, including a section titled "Soil Education" <http://soils.usda.gov/education/> and a section titled Distribution Maps of Dominant Soil Orders that contains a brief description, photo and USA distribution map of each soil order at: <http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/class/?cid=nrcs142p2_053589>. Schedule of Presentations Mollisol, Alfisol, Spodosol, Entisol, Inceptisol, Gelisol, Andisol, Aridisol, Histosol, Vertisol, Ultisol, and Oxisol. Powerpoint Presentations If you want to give a Powerpoint slide presentation, then you must send your Powerpoint file to TIffany by 5 pm on Monday, April 7 so that she can load these files onto her laptop computer, which will be used for all Powerpoint presentations. Give your Powerpoint file a descriptive name that includes your soil order and your last name, e.g., Histosol_Altaner. If you do not meet the 5 pm, April 7 deadline for sending Tiffany your Powerpoint file, then you cannot give a Powerpoint presentation. Students must be prepared to give their presentation even if computer projection equipment does not work. Copies of Black and White Handouts If you would like black and white copies for handouts, put the originals in Tiffany s mailbox in 144 CAB (or give them to Tiffany in person) by Noon on Monday, April 7. She'll have the copies ready for your presentation in Lab.
Soil Orders (Student picks a piece of paper with a number from 1 to 15 to choose their soil order for their presentation) Soil Order (and informal name) Student Name(s) Alfisols = deciduous forest soil Andisol = formed on volcanic ash Aridisols = desert soil Entisols = alluvium soil Gelisol = tundra soil Histosols = organic soil Inceptisols = young soils Mollisols = prairie soils Oxisols = tropical soil/laterite Spodosols = coniferous forest soil Ultisols = sub-tropical Vertisols = swelling soil
Geol 333 Lab 9 (Carbonate Sedimentary Rocks in Hand Sample and Thin Section) - Student Notes Sedimentary Rock - Classification and Textures Clastic - transportation, deposition, and lithification of sediment layers Chemical - chemical precipitation, dissolved ions combine to form solid mineral grains; crystalline texture (large or small interlocking grains, ~igneous) Organic (biochemical) - accumulation of plant or animal remains, e.g., CaCO 3 shells; Fossiliferous limestone has bioclastic texture - CaCO 3 shells with pore space commonly filled with spar (calcite cement) or micrite (fine-grained CaCO 3 mud); chemical and organic sedimentary rocks are classified by composition (~single mineral) Due to abundance and geologic significance, Lab emphasizes Carbonate sedimentary rocks (limestone and dolostone) with both chemical and organic origins. Carbonate Rock - Nature and Origin Limestone = mostly CaCO 3 (calcite and aragonite, less commonly); forms in ~shallow, warm ocean water far from sources of clastic sediments Dolostone = mostly CaMg(CO 3 ) 2 (dolomite); forms during burial by chemical alteration of preexisting limestone with Mg-rich water Most Limestone and Dolostone consist of one or more of following: 1) Allochems = sand-sized or coarser carbonate grains (framework grains in sandstone), including CaCO 3 shells (Fig. 8-1) and oolites, ~1-2 mm spherical grains of inorganically precipitated concentric layers of CaCO 3, often with quartz grain in middle that was base for precipitation 2) Micrite = fine-grained carbonate mud (matrix in sandstone) 3) Spar = crystalline carbonate cement (cement in sandstone) Carbonate Rock Classification (Fig. 1.3) Biomicrite/Biosparite = abundant CaCO 3 shells + micrite or spar; won t emphasize specific fossil shell identification (Fig. 8.1) (Coquina = porous and poorly cemented limestone, ~entirely CaCO 3 shells) Oomicrite/Oosparite = abundant oolites and micrite or spar Micrite = ~entirely CaCO 3 mud (chalk = soft and poorly cemented limestone, tiny shells of marine plankton, floating organisms) Crystalline Limestone or Crystalline Dolostone = interlocking crystals of calcite or dolomite; difficult to distinguish dolomite from calcite in thin section unless it is stained. Use reaction to acid to distinguish dolomite from calcite in hand sample. Depositional Environment of Carbonate Rock (Table 8.2) - Limestone (and Dolostone) = shallow, warm seawater; broken fossils, spar cement and oolites indicate active water such as shallow water with waves; unbroken large fossils and micrite indicate quiet water such as lagoon or deep water Other Chemical and Organic Sedimentary Rocks Chert = fine-grained quartz, forms by recrystallization of siliceous fossil skeletons and inorganically precipitated silica Rock Salt and Rock Gypsum = (evaporites) form by precipitation of halite or gypsum from evaporating seawater Banded Iron Formation = alternating layers of iron oxides and chert Peat = partly decomposed plants, converts to coal during burial Lignite, Bituminous, Anthracite =grades (rank) of coal, colors from brown to dull black and shiny black Begin to prepare your soil presentation (scheduled for April 8)!