Soil Glossary From Soils.org

Front 1

Amino acids

Back 1

Molecules that join together to form proteins, the building blocks of all organisms.

Front 2

Anaerobic

Back 2

Without oxygen as a part of the environment. The opposite of aerobic.

Front 3

Antibiotic

Back 3

A chemical that weakens or stops bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms from growing.

Front 4

Archaeologist

Back 4

A scientist who studies ancient human cultures.

Front 5

Arid

Back 5

Dry, like a desert.

Front 6

Bedrock

Back 6

Mass of solid rock beneath the soil. Can be parent material if it is close enough to the surface to weather into soil.

Front 7

Blocky

Back 7

A soil structure. Soil particles are arranged into shapes that resemble small cubes with sharp or rounded edges.

Front 8

Clay

Back 8

The smallest sized soil particles. Often have plate-like shapes. Feels sticky when wet. Also refers to a soil texture that consists of at least 40% clay particles.

Front 9

CLORPT

Back 9

The five factors that influence what type of soil forms

Front 10

Columnar

Back 10

A soil structure. Soil particles are arranged into tall vertical shapes or columns often with rounded tops.

Front 11

Compost

Back 11

The remains of plants and animals after they have decomposed. Can be used to fertilize soil and to improve its structure and ability to hold water.

Front 12

Compounds

Back 12

The combination of two or more elements. For example, hydrogen and oxygen combine to make water.

Front 13

Decompose (Decomposition)

Back 13

To break down a compound into simpler compounds. Often accomplished with the help of micro organisms

Front 14

Developed soil

Back 14

A soil that has had a long time to form, such as most tropical soils. A mature soil.

Front 15

Deficiency

Back 15

Lacking in something important. A deficiency of nutrients in a plant, for example, can stunt its growth.

Front 16

Dormant

Back 16

A state in which a plant or animal is not growing.

Front 17

Ecologist

Back 17

A scientist who studies interactions between organisms and their environment.

Front 18

Eluviated horizon (E horizon)

Back 18

A horizon from which minerals, clay, and/or organic matter have been leached.

Front 19

Enzyme

Back 19

A protein that increases the rate of chemical reactions in an organism’s cells.

Front 20

Erode (Erosion)

Back 20

To wear away, or remove, rock or soil particles by water, ice, and/or gravity.

Front 21

Estuary

Back 21

A semi-enclosed body of water with a source of fresh water and an outlet to the ocean.

Front 22

Fertility

Back 22

The ability of a soil to supply essential nutrients to plants.

Front 23

Fertilizer

Back 23

A substance added to soil that contains plant nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

Front 24

Fungus

Back 24

A kingdom of organisms distinct from animals and plants. Most fungi get their energy from decomposing plants and animals.

Front 25

Granular

Back 25

A soil structure. Soil particles are arranged into shapes that resemble granola. Has lots of pores.

Front 26

Groundwater

Back 26

Water that collects underground in the pore spaces of soil and rock. An important source of drinking water.

Front 27

Horizon

Back 27

A layer of soil with properties that differ from the layers above or below it.

Front 28

Humus

Back 28

Organic matter such as highly decomposed leaves.

Front 29

Leaching

Back 29

The removal of minerals and nutrients from a soil or a horizon as water passes through it.

Front 30

Loam

Back 30

A soil texture with moderate amounts of sand, silt, and clay, sometimes in nearly equal proportions. Good texture for farming and gardening.

Front 31

Macronutrients

Back 31

Nutrients needed by organisms in relatively large quantities.

Front 32

Massive

Back 32

A soil that has no structure. Soil particles are completely stuck together.

Front 33

Microbes

Back 33

Microscopic organisms, such as bacteria and fungi. Microbes represent the most abundant soil organisms.

Front 34

Microbiologist

Back 34

A scientist who studies microscopic organisms, or microbes.

Front 35

Minerals

Back 35

The inorganic particles in soils that weather from rocks.

Front 36

Mottles (Mottling)

Back 36

Spots or blotches of color(s) in a soil that differ from that soil’s dominant color.

Front 37

Nitrogen (N)

Back 37

Macronutrient essential to living things like plant growth and building proteins. Often added to agricultural and garden soils.

Front 38

Nutrients

Back 38

Elements or compounds that nourish organisms. Essential for growth and reproduction.

Front 39

Organic matter

Back 39

Material derived from the decay of plants and animals. Always contains compounds of carbon and hydrogen.

Front 40

Organisms

Back 40

Living things such as bacteria, fungi, plants, or animals.

Front 41

Parent material

Back 41

The material from which a soil formed. Can be bedrock or materials carried and deposited by wind, water, glaciers, and/or gravity.

Front 42

Peat

Back 42

Partially decayed organic matter that accumulates in environments that stay wet.

Front 43

Ped

Back 43

The structural unit formed when soil particles (sand, silt, and clay) bind together.

Front 44

Pedologist

Back 44

A scientist who studies soils.

Front 45

Perennials

Back 45

Plants that live for more than two years as opposed to annuals that grow each year from seeds or biennials that live for only two years.

Front 46

Permafrost

Back 46

A soil horizon, or layer, that remains frozen year round.

Front 47

Phosphorus (P)

Back 47

Macronutrient essential to all living things like flowers, fruits, seeds in plants, and the nervous system in animals. Often added to agricultural and garden soils.

Front 48

Photosynthesis

Back 48

The process by which plants, some bacteria, and some algae use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into food and oxygen.

Front 49

Platy

Back 49

A soil structure. Soil particles are arranged into shapes that resemble flat plates.

Front 50

Pores

Back 50

The space between soil particles, which can be filled with water or air. A porous soil has lots of pores.

Front 51

Potassium (K)

Back 51

Macronutrient essential to all living things like water uptake and pest resistance in plants; muscles and blood circulation in animals. Often added to agricultural and garden soils.

Front 52

Prismatic

Back 52

A soil structure. Soil particles are arranged into shapes that resemble columns.

Front 53

Productive

Back 53

A term used to describe a soil that has the capacity to grow an abundance of crops.

Front 54

Relief

Back 54

The shape of the land surface created by features such as hills and valleys.

Front 55

Runoff

Back 55

Water from precipitation or irrigation that does not soak into the soil but flows off the land and reaches streams and rivers.

Front 56

Salinization

Back 56

The build-up of salts in soil. Often occurs in arid environments.

Front 57

Sand

Back 57

The largest-sized soil particles. Sand feels gritty. Also refers to a soil texture that consists of at least 85% sand particles.

Front 58

Sediment

Back 58

Any particle of soil or rock that has been deposited by water, wind, glaciers, or gravity.

Front 59

Sewage

Back 59

Waste that goes down a drain (such as those in bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms) to a treatment plant or septic system.

Front 60

Silt

Back 60

Soil particles in between sand and clay in size. Silt feels like flour (smooth and velvety). Also refers to a soil texture that consists of at least 80% silt particles.

Front 61

Single-grained

Back 61

A soil that has no structure. Soil particles are not bound to each other in any way, such as beach sand.

Front 62

Slope

Back 62

A landscape, or surface, that is tilted or inclined.

Front 63

Sludge

Back 63

Semi-solid material left behind after sewage has been processed in a treatment plant. May be used as a fertilizer in some instances.

Front 64

Sod

Back 64

Grass and the soil beneath it, held together by roots. Can be cut into blocks and used as a building material.

Front 65

Soil

Back 65

A mixture of minerals, organic matter, water, and air, which forms on the land surface. Can support the growth of plants.

Front 66

Soil profile

Back 66

 A section of the soil that has been cut vertically to expose all its horizons, or layers.

Front 67

Soil structure

Back 67

The arrangement of soil particles into clusters, called peds, of various shapes that resemble balls, blocks, columns, or plates.

Front 68

Soil texture

Back 68

The relative proportions of sand, silt, and clay particles.

Front 69

Subsoil (B horizon)

Back 69

The soil horizon rich in minerals that eluviated, or leached down, from the horizons above it. Not present in all soils.

Front 70

Tissue

Back 70

A group of cells in an organism that work together, such as muscles in an animal or the outer surface of leaves in a plant.

Front 71

Topsoil (A horizon)

Back 71

Mostly weathered minerals from parent material with a little organic matter added. The horizon that formed at the land surface.

Front 72

Transform

Back 72

To change from one thing into another or from one state into another, like a liquid into a gas.

Front 73

Tropical

Back 73

The area of land and ocean that lies between 23.5° north and south of the equator.

Front 74

Tundra

Back 74

An area in cold regions, such as in the arctic or on mountains, where the growing season is very short.

Front 75

Uptake

Back 75

The ability of a plant to absorb water and nutrients.

Front 76

Weather (Weathering)

Back 76

To break down rocks and minerals at or near Earth’s surface into smaller particles and soil.

Front 77

Wetland

Back 77

An area of land where the soil is saturated with water, such as a marsh, swamp, or bog.