NRS 450 EXAM 1 STUDY GUIDE URI WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
Definition of soil - ANSWER Collection of natural bodies, composed of earthy materials,
supports plant life out of doors, shows evidence of pedognesis
Difference between soil and regolith - ANSWER soil is the portion of regolith that is able
to support plant life
Boundaries of soil - ANSWER Upper limit: subaerial and subaqueous soils
Margins: deepwater/ ice or bedrock
Lower limit: Bedrock
Solum - ANSWER Anything above the c horizon, pedogenesis has occured
Master Horizons - ANSWER O: organic
A: mineral, but rich in organic material
E: eluviation
B: soil structural units
C: no structural units
R: Bedrock
Subordinate distinctions - ANSWER a: highly decomposed organic material
b: buried genetic horizon
d: root restricting or dense till
e: organic material of intermediate decomposition
g: gray colors and iron removed
, h: illuvial accumulation of organic matter
i: slightly decomposed organic material
k: carbonate accumulation
p: tillage or other disturbance
s: illuvial accumulation of Al, Fe, and organic matter
t: silicate clay accumulation
w: weakly developed B horizon
Vertical subdivisions - ANSWER Continuous horizon distributions
ex: Bt1, Bt2
Transitional horizons - ANSWER Blended
ex: BC,CB
Discontinuties - ANSWER One parent material to the next
ex: Bw2, 2Bc
Matrix color - ANSWER Munsell color notation
hue - ANSWER spectral color: 5YR
Value - ANSWER Relative lightness or darkness: numerator
Chroma - ANSWER intensity or purity of a color: denominator
Redoximorphic features - ANSWER Gray features- depletions
Red, orange, yellow features- concentrations
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
Definition of soil - ANSWER Collection of natural bodies, composed of earthy materials,
supports plant life out of doors, shows evidence of pedognesis
Difference between soil and regolith - ANSWER soil is the portion of regolith that is able
to support plant life
Boundaries of soil - ANSWER Upper limit: subaerial and subaqueous soils
Margins: deepwater/ ice or bedrock
Lower limit: Bedrock
Solum - ANSWER Anything above the c horizon, pedogenesis has occured
Master Horizons - ANSWER O: organic
A: mineral, but rich in organic material
E: eluviation
B: soil structural units
C: no structural units
R: Bedrock
Subordinate distinctions - ANSWER a: highly decomposed organic material
b: buried genetic horizon
d: root restricting or dense till
e: organic material of intermediate decomposition
g: gray colors and iron removed
, h: illuvial accumulation of organic matter
i: slightly decomposed organic material
k: carbonate accumulation
p: tillage or other disturbance
s: illuvial accumulation of Al, Fe, and organic matter
t: silicate clay accumulation
w: weakly developed B horizon
Vertical subdivisions - ANSWER Continuous horizon distributions
ex: Bt1, Bt2
Transitional horizons - ANSWER Blended
ex: BC,CB
Discontinuties - ANSWER One parent material to the next
ex: Bw2, 2Bc
Matrix color - ANSWER Munsell color notation
hue - ANSWER spectral color: 5YR
Value - ANSWER Relative lightness or darkness: numerator
Chroma - ANSWER intensity or purity of a color: denominator
Redoximorphic features - ANSWER Gray features- depletions
Red, orange, yellow features- concentrations
