Soil Science WEB Exam 5 Fall 2007 Dept. of Soil, Water and Climate
Directions 1. There is ONE BEST answer per question. 2. Place your answers on answer sheet, you only need to turn in the answers.
Name
1.________ 2._______ 3._________ 4._______ 5.______ 6._______ 7._________ 8._______
9.______ 10._______ 11. _________ 12.________ 13.______ 14.________ 15._________
Total _____
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Web Exam 5 Questions 1- 15
1. This diagnostic subsurface horizon has morphology that shows evidence of iron and aluminum accumulation. It is different from the parent material in both color and structure. It usually occurs below an eluvial layer in Minnesota on outwash parent materials. It is the _____________.
a) argillic b) spodic c) cambic d) oxic
2. The surface epipedon that would most frequently be found on the prairie soils of the former lake plains of central Minnesota is the _____?
a) ochric b) histic c) mollic d) umbric
3. The argillic horizon is easily determined because __?__.
a) it is lighter in color than the horizons that are above or below it.
b) it has a redder color than the horizons that are above or below it.
c) it has more clay than the eluvial horizons above.
d) it is gray in color.
4. The Histic diagnostic epipedon is dominated by : ______________.
a) undecomposed and decomposed organic matter with very few mineral particles.
b) decomposed organic matter that coats the mineral particles.
c) gray colors and numerous krotovinas
d) clay texture that is dark in color.
5. The soil order ___?___has existed in an environment that allows intense weathering. In fact the sand, silt and clay particles have fewer than 10% weatherable minerals .
a) Aridisol b) Vertisol c) Oxisol d) Mollisol
6. The Suborders Udalfs and Udepts in Minnesota will have _____ & ____ in common.
a) clay accumulation & subangular blocky structure
b) thick A horizon and a B? subsoil horizon.
c) thin A horizons and a B? subsoil horizon.
d) zone of eluviation & zone of illuviation
Use the soil profiles (Soil 1,2,3,4) for questions 7-12.
7. Soil 1 has a diagnostic surface epipedon of _____________.
a) umbric: b) mollic: c) ochric: d) histic
8) Soil 3 has a diagnostic subsurface of _____..
a) cambic; b) argillic; c) spodic; d) none
9) Soil 3 has the characteristics and morphology found in _____.
a) young soils, not weathered (Entisols); b) medium developed soils, slightly weathered (Inceptisols); c) mature soils, considerable weathering (Alfisols); d) old or very weathered soils (Oxisols)
10) Soil 2 has a subsurface horizon that is wet and would most likely be in the soil suborder _____.
a) Aquoll b) Aqualf c) Udept d) Aquent
11) If
you dug a soil pit in this very sandy soil and the soil you describe was soil
1, you most likely would be in which Minnesota Region? (for region map
go to 
(click on map)
a)East Central b) Northwest c) South Central d) Southeast
12. If you were certain that soil 3 is from someplace in Minnesota, it would most likely belong to the Suborder_____________.
a) Uduolls b) Aquolls c) Udepts d) Aqualfs
13. Which suborder would most likely be found in the Northwest Region See this Map of Minnesota that was formed from lacustrine deposits.
a) Aquent b) Aquert c) Fibrist d) Aquoll
14. You decide
to take a trip in Minnesota so you hop on the Greyhound bus and off you go.
After a while you take a short nap. You awaken when the bus stops. The bus
driver says to you, " Sorry, but this is as far as your ticket takes
you". You get off. The bus takes off and you are standing beside the road.
This is your view.
You look around and notice steep slopes
and a very cobbly soil with a thin dark silt loam A horizon. The cobbly BC
horizon is directly under the silty clay Bt. The light tan colored bedrock is
below the C at 6 feet. The soil suborder is most likely ___________
a) Udalf b) Udept c) Psamment d) Udoll
15. This soil
suborder is on a moderately steep (10%) west facing slope at the backslope
position. Horizon 1 is loamy fine sand of 10YR 2/2 and is 6 inches thick.
Horizon 2 is fine sand of 10YR 4/4 and is 12 inches thick. Horizon 3 is cobbly
fine sand of 10YR 5/4 and is 10 inches thick. The cobbles are weakly cemented
sandstone. Horizon 4 is hard St. Peter Sandstone. The Suborder is __?__ and the
parent material is __?_________
a) Udept....outwash: b) Udoll...Residuum: c) Psamment ...Residuum: d) Orthent..... bedrock
