Introductory Soils

This manual is designed to encourage the quantitative investigation of soil properties, as well as to give a “feel” for what soils are and how they behave. It provides opportunities to see, touch and manipulate soil in the lab and in the field to better understand pedological, biological, chemical, and physical aspects of one of nature’s most complex ecosystems. Many of the exercises introduce the basics of the scientific method and use of instrumentation. A unifying thread is the repeated use a “personal soil” sampled at the start of the course from a place with which the student has a personal relationship. By the end of the course students can interpret data from a dozen different analyses for land use and soil management implications. With more than enough exercises to fill a 15-week semester, this lab manual gives users the flexibility to choose investigations most in line with their interests and available equipment.

Each of the 21 exercises includes:

• Measurable learning objectives.
• An introduction that puts the activity into context.
• A detailed list of required materials.
• A step-by-step procedure with one column giving procedural steps and the other column providing additional information and explaining why these steps are undertaken.
• Graphic illustrations to clarify the procedures or concepts.
• A hand-in section with places for student observations as well as thought questions.