Maintaining Soil Moisture Activity Source: American Geophysical Union. Adapted with permission. Soil is a vital component of almost every ecosystem, and its health often determines the viability of the whole ecosystem. If a soil cannot support the living organisms within it – such as insects, bacteria, fungi, and plant roots – then it is likely that the entire ecosystem will suffer. The same is true on farms. The success of crops is dependent on the health of the soil. [Read More]

State Soil Investigation Activity Source: Soil Science Society of America. Adapted with permission. Many states have a designated state bird, flower, fish, tree, rock, and so on. Many states also have a state soil — one that has significance or is important to the state. The Soil Science Society of America has developed a collection of state soil booklets, designed and written by professional soil scientists from the region to share in-depth information on each state soil. [Read More]

Visualizing terrain with maps Traditional geologic maps — sometimes crisscrossed with lines, blotted with colors, and marked with strike and dip symbols — have been used to depict the geologic makeup of the Earth for many years. New technologies such as satellite-enabled remote sensing are allowing geoscientists to create and use maps of greater richness and complexity than ever before. The chain of islands that makes up Hawaii was caused by a hot spot, an area where hot magma rose, broke through Earth’s crust, and formed volcanoes, at first below the ocean surface. [Read More]