Soils lab report

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St. Petersburg College *

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2892C

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Geography

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Feb 20, 2024

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docx

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Ashley Venuto EVR 2000L Professor Choudhari Soils lab report October 9 th , 2023

Introduction The purpose of this lab is to analyze the soil for texture, color and moisture in two different areas at the USF botanical gardens, a wetland versus an upland. Wetland soils differ from other soils because they are formed under very wet conditions and have little to no oxygen, making it anaerobic (Wetland, 2021). The absence of oxygen results in different characteristics, such as soil color and texture. The chemical reactions that occur in an anaerobic soil differ from what happens in an aerobic soil, which is why there is a difference in color. There are different types of wetland soil, mineral wetland soils, which are a mix of sand, silt and clay with humus and dead plant matter. Organic wetland soils such as peats and mucks which are accumulated dead wet plant material. Methodology In the lab performed, there were two different locations, the wetland verses the dryland. To perform the experiment there was dirt taken at different depths, and the following characteristics were performed/ observed horizon, texture, color, moisture and pH and were recorded. Results: Wetland Site Sample Depth Horizon Texture Color (hue, value, chroma) Moisture pH 0 cm O sandy 5 R 2.5/1 moist 8.1 15 cm A sandy silt 7.5 YR 2.5/1 moist 6.7

30 cm E silty loam 10 YR 3/1 less moist 6.8 45 cm B silty clay 2.5 Y 5/1 even less moist 6.4 Dryland Site Sample Depth Horizon Texture Color (hue, value, chroma) Moisture pH 0 cm O sand 10 R 2.5/1 moist 8.7 15 cm A sandy 2.5 YR 3/1 moist 8.4 30 cm E sandy/silty 7.5 R 4/1 moist 8.2 Conclusion Based on the data collected, wetlands versus drylands differ. Looking at the pH column the wetland ranged from 6.4-8.1, while the dryland ranged from 8.2-8.7, as we know wetlands tends to be more acidic, so these results confirmed that. The colors varied from different chemical reactions that were happening in the soil due to the soil being saturated or not saturated. In the moisture column, at the dryland site, it was moist at all depths, while with the wetland site, it started moist and became less moist as the depth increased. At both sites the texture varied, as the depth increased it seemed to go from sandy to sandy/silty.

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References Wetland word: Hydric soil: U.S. geological survey . Wetland Word: Hydric Soil | U.S. Geological Survey. (2021, May 7). https://www.usgs.gov/news/science-snippet/wetland- word-hydric-soil

Soils lab report

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