[REN R210] - Final Exam Guide - Comprehensive Notes for the exam (32 pages long!)

• School: University of Alberta
• Department: Renewable Resources
• Course: REN R210
• Professor: Michael Mac Kenzie

Document Summary

Unconsolidated geologic material (pulverized rocks from different geological processes) or organic material (organic material in mineral soils changes the nature of that soil) Affected by soil forming processes (in top 10 m dominantly) Two basic concepts of soils have evolved through the study of soil as a science. Edaphology: the study of soils as a medium for plant growth. Pedology: the study of soils in relation to their environment. Soils occur at the interface of: atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere (see notebook) so they are affected by the gaseous atmosphere, all planetary water, all geological material and al living beings interacting) So soil science integrates: surficial geology/ geomorphology, mineralogy of primary and secondary minerals, hydrologic cycles, physics of water, inorganic and organic chemistry, microbiology, plant biology, ecology. System in 3 phases: water, air, and solids (organic and mineral) (see notebook) Soils occur in a predictable fashion across the land surface, and change through space and time.