soil
We're so glad you're here. Your interest in and/or curiosity about soils means that you want to learn more. Let's start with a technical definition...
SOIL is the unconsolidated mineral and organic matter on the surface of the Earth that has been subjected to and shows effects of genetic and environmental factors of: climate and macro- & microorganisms, conditions by relief, acting on parent material over a period of time (USDA-NRCS).
...but let's be honest. Soils are so much more than this. Soils are alive, they are beautiful, they are complex, they are life sustaining. Soils are kin and deserve our care and conservation. Together with my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Yamina Pressler, we created a crowd-sourced soils education website, For the love of soil - here you will find a wealth of soils information created and shared by many.
Additional websites you might enjoy include:
- United States Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service site about soils
- K12 Soil Science Teacher Resources - Soil Science Society of America
- While not specifically soils, this website provides a map-based approach to understanding the Native Land and is an app to help map Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages.
- Web Soil Survey provides soil data and information produced by the National Cooperative Soil Survey.
- SoilWeb - an online soil survey browser.
- Soil Colors of the United States - maps that show soil color at various depths for individual States and the Continental United States.
- Soil Colors of the National Parks
- Soil Color via Science Direct. "Soil color is a clear way to see and distinguish specific soil properties, especially for the trained soil scientist."
- The Color of Soil via USDA-NRCS.