Soil

In real life

Why is investigating soil relevant in these real-life situations:

a family deciding to grow their own food to become more self-sufficient
The management of houses built on the coast to take advantage of ocean views
the flow of run-off from degraded land?

Tools for analysing soil include tests for soil depth, acidity, moisture, temperature, texture, slaking, colour, structure, salinity and organic content.

Using a soil testing kit

It is likely that you would be examining soils as part of a broader study. You would therefore be looking at differences in the characteristics of soils with, for example, changes in slope, changes in vegetation type or perhaps changes in farming land use.

How to use tools for soil testing (.pdf 289kB).

Record your measurements for each testing site on a summary table (.doc 36kB).

Find out more

Go to the Riverina Environmental Education Centre for more information about soil.

Quiz question

How long does it take for one centimetre of topsoil to form?