2011 WI Envirothon Soils and Land Use Exam Challenge

Team Code:
2011 Wisconsin Envirothon
Soils and Land Use Exam
USE THE OCONTO COUNTY SOIL SURVEY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS 1 - 4
The Pensaukee River Wetland Complex is a mixture of state (Pensaukee Wildlife Area) and
privately owned lands. This estuary is located on a sandy lake plain near the mouth of the
Pensaukee River on the western Green Bay shore of Oconto County. The site includes many
wetland community types. Of greatest interest are the large emergent marshes along the
shoreline, which are best developed south of the river.
1. What is the soil mapping unit symbol and name (including slope) at the intersection of
County Trunk Highway SS and County Trunk Highway S in Section 11 of T. 27N. R. 21E.?
2. In the marsh north of the mouth of the Pensaukee River as it empties into Green Bay locate
the large area of Cormant loamy fine sand in Section 12.
a. What is the drainage class of this soil?
b. What three landscape positions is Cormant loamy fine sand is located on?
3. A family which enjoys the Green Bay shoreline, wetlands, and viewing waterfowl would like
to build a house and it could be located on Cormant loamy fine sand. Would this be a good
place to build? Why or why not?
_
____/12
Running Total: 12
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4. Some soils on the fringe of the Green Bay estuary, (Pensaukee Wildlife area) are currently
farmed. If the water control measures (drainage ditches or drainage tile) for fields where
these soils occur were disabled allowing them to flood on a natural cycle what would likely
happen to the soils?
a. bedrock would be exposed to
the surface
b. parent material would change
for the worse
c. soil structure and organic matter
would increase
d. soil texture would change
5. Which of the following soil conditions is a proper characteristic of a soil for septic tank filter
fields?
a. high water table at 18 inches
b. limestone bedrock at 24 inches
c. sandy loam glacial till
d. silty clay textured C horizon
6. Which of the following soil surface textures has the highest potential for wind erosion?
a. loamy sand
b. sandy clay loam
c. silty clay
d. silt loam
7. Soils that have a high water holding capacity usually have a high content of which soil
texture particle size?
a. clay
b. loam
c. sand
d. silt
____/8
Running Total: 20
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8. Soil structure is defined as “the manner in which soil particles are assembled in aggregate
form. What are four soil structures common to Wisconsin?
9. Soil provides the physical material in which plants grow. Water held by soil particles is very
important as well.
a. What is the term used when soil-water is no longer available to be taken up by
plants?
b. What is the term used when the soil has reached the maximum amount of water it
can hold?
10. What are three soil forming or environmental factors that contribute to soil profile
development?
11. What plant nutrient generally requires soil bacteria to make the nutrient available for plant
root uptake?
a. calcium
b. nitrogen
c. phosphorus
d. potassium
____/17
Running Total: 37
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12. What are two likely types of parent materials for soils occurring in the fresh water Green
Bay estuary?
a. alluvial
b. eolian
c. glacial
d. lacustrine
13. What best describes the redoximorphic features of the soils that occur in the fresh water
Green Bay estuary?
a. close to the soil surface with a
high percent of coverage
b. deeper in the soil profile with a
high percent of coverage
c. nonexistent redoximorphic
features
d. weak, faint barely visible
redoximorphic features
14. Which soil ecosystem is more likely to have the largest amount of soil organisms (bacteria,
fungi, protozoa, nematodes, arthropods, earthworms)?
a. conventional tilled agricultural
field
b. no-till agricultural field
c. scotch pine forest
d. tallgrass prairie
15. What type of organism is found in the greatest numbers within the soil?
a. earthworms
b. insects
c. bacteria
d. fungi
16. What is the primary transport agent of colluvium?
17. What soil amendment is typically added to the soil to overcome excess soil acidity?
____/12
Running Total: 49
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18. Which soil horizon is characterized by very little mineral matter?
a. A horizon
b. C horizon
c. E horizon
d. O horizon
19. Which soil constituent has the most surface area per unit of measure?
a. clay
b. gravel
c. sand
d. silt
20. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is A= R x K x L x S x C x P, and it is used to determine
how much erosion is occurring on an agricultural field. Match the letter symbol of the USLE
to the correct meaning of the letter.
a. conservation practice factor
e. slope length factor
b. cropping factor
f. soil erodibility factor
c. rainfall factor
g. slope steepness factor
d. annual soil loss
USE THE SAMPLES IN THE CONTAINERS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS 21-24
21. What is the name and Munsell color symbol for the soil in container 1?
22. What is the soil texture in container 2?
23. What is the soil structure in container 3?
24. What is the parent material in container 4?
___________________________________________________________________________
____/20
Running Total: 69
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ANSWER QUESTIONS 25-29 BY USING THIS SOIL PROFILE DESCRIPTION:
Ap--0 to 23 centimeters; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2)
dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many fine roots; about 6 percent
gravel and 2 percent cobbles; pH 6.8; abrupt smooth boundary.
E--23 to 30 centimeters; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry; weak thin
platy structure; very friable; common fine roots; about 1 percent gravel and 1 percent
cobbles; pH 6.1; clear wavy boundary.
B/E--30 to 48 centimeters; about 70 percent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silt loam (Bt);
moderate very fine angular blocky structure; friable; few distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay
films on faces of peds; penetrated by brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam (E), very pale brown (10YR
7/3) dry; weak thin platy structure; very friable; common fine roots; pH 4.9; clear irregular
boundary.
Bt1--48 to 71 centimeters; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silt loam; moderate fine angular
blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; common distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay films
on faces of peds; common coats of pale brown (10YR 6/3) clean silt and very fine sand grains
on vertical faces of peds; about 1 percent gravel and cobbles; pH 4.5; abrupt wavy
boundary.
2Bt2--71 to 79 centimeters; brown (7.5YR 4/4) loam; moderate medium subangular blocky
structure; friable; common fine roots; common prominent dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) clay
films on faces of peds and in pores; common coatings of pale brown (10YR 6/3) clean silt and
sand grains primarily on vertical faces of peds; about 11 percent gravel and 2 percent
cobbles; pH 4.4; abrupt wavy boundary.
2Bt3--79 to 84 centimeters; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly sandy loam; weak coarse
subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; few distinct dark reddish brown (5YR
3/4) clay bridges between mineral grains; about 34 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; pH
4.5; abrupt wavy boundary.
3C--84 to 152 centimeters; brown (7.5YR 5/4) stratified sand and gravelly sand; single grain;
loose; about 16 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; few fine roots; pH 5.1.
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25. What is the texture of the 2Bt2 horizon?
26. What is the grade of the structure in the E horizon?
27. What is the type of structure in the Bt1 horizon?
28. How many parent materials does this soil have?
29. Based on the horizon soil colors and soil textures throughout the soil, what is the drainage
class of this soil?
VISIT THE SOIL PIT TO ANSWER QUESTIONS 30-34
30. What is the structure of the horizon labeled II in the soil pit?
_________________________________ _ ___________
31. What is the moist color (name and complete Munsell symbol) of the horizon labeled I?
_________________________________ _ ____________
32. What is the texture of the horizon labeled I?
_________________________________ _ ___________
____/19
Running Total: 88
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33. What is the thickness of the A horizon?
_________________________________ _ ____________
(3pts, site specific question, answer TBD)
34. Using a clinometer, what is the slope of the land between the two stakes?
_________________________________ _ ____________
USING THE TEXTURE TRIANGLE, IDENTIFY THE TEXTURE OF THREE SOILS BASED ON THEIR
RELATIVE PROPORTIONS OF CLAY, SAND, AND SILT.
35. 38% clay, 31% silt, and 31% sand
36. 9% clay, 22% silt, and 69% sand
37. 11% clay, 44% silt, and 45% sand
TIEBREAKER
Soil color helps you evaluate which two soil properties?
_____ __
_____
____/12
Running Total: 100
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