STEVE “The Dirtmeister®” TOMECEK

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 ave you ever dug in the dirt?
Have you ever made mud pies? a
Have you ever helped plant a garden? _
You've probably noticed that not all dirt
looksthe same.
Some dirt is dark in color. Some is light.
Some dirt is really sticky. Some is soft and -
fluffy. Dirt in all its different forms is
important to our bg Let's dig into.
Some people think that dirt isj sometl
be cleaned up—like the stuff you wash out
Ne
your clothes. But dirt is really one of the—
most important things on Earth. —
Scientists call dirt “soil.”
Soil is found on the surface
of Earth. Soil is as important to life
on Earth as air or water. Without it,
many living things would die.
Most soils start as rock. Rain, ice, and
wind slowly wear rock into smaller
pieces called sediment. Some sediment
is big,and some sediment is really
small. Soils usually include a mix of
four sizes of sediments.
 Gravel is the biggest sediment. It looks like small rocks. Grains of
sand are about the size of grains of sugar. Sand makes the soil feel
gritty. Silt feels like flour. Its grains are smaller than sand. Clay grains
are tiny. VWVhen clay is wet, it makes soil really Jeane
\ When clay is dry, it forms hard clumps.
Each type of soil has a different mix of
sediments. These sediments all affect
how water will act in soil. Have you
aver spilled a drink on the sand at the
beach? It sinks right in! Water usually
flows right through sandy soils. If you
plant a garden in sandy soil, you
have to water it often.

Water has a hard time flowing through

clay. Soils that have a great deal
of clay often have puddles
form on top of them when
it rains. The best soils
have an even mix of sand,
silt, and clay.
el
; Sediments iin the soir are important because they
ae pave rootsevs to hold.on to. If soils

ites Mould hk into the ground. Sediments

also contain minerals. Minerals help plants grow.
_ Without minerals in the soil, mostt plants
would die.
 ay
hig

When organicee coe

it puts nutrients intothe soil tk
animals need to grow
so
 Plants aren’t the only things that live
_ in soil. Just one square foot of
good forest soil can be home to as nielayy
as 300,000 different living things!
they et
 G

Some of the most important creatures

found in the soil are earthworms.
Wey Earthworms.eat organic matter
attached to tiny: pieces of sediment.
To get their food, they swallow large
\ amounts of dirt. When it comes out
ree
.

the other end, the soil is loose and

fluffy and enriched with nutrients.
 By tunneling through the soil,
earthworms give plant roots places
to grow. These tunnels also make
spaces for water and air to get into
the soil. Some scientists think
that, over the course of a year,a
single earthworm can eat
several tons of soil.
 Earthworms don't do all the work.
Insects and microbes may not sound
too important, but they help make life
possible for you. They help to recycle nutrients
in the soil. Those nutrients help plants grow,
and plants provide the food and oxygen you
need to live.

When you eat a banana, a peanut butter sandwich,

or even a hamburger, you owe your mealtothe ._
soil. That’s right—even though a cow doesnot (Ze |
grow in the soil, it eats grass. If the grass didn’t get
nutrients from the soil to grow, you wouldn’t have
a glass of milk to drink!
 a Cae ee See
~
eed

0 4,000 years ao | ee:

\ : ‘It takes hundreds or even thousands of years for some

S soils to form. Many soils start with a thin layer of sediment on top
of bare rock.When enough sediment collects, grass and other small plants
start to grow in it. When these plants die, they add organic matter to the soil.
v
Sometimes living things make
soil. Lichens are living things that
grow on bare rock. As they grow,
lichens slowly break the surface of |
the rock into sediment. Over
hundreds of years, lichens make
enough soil for other plants to grow.
Over time, sediment piles up to make different layers
of soil. Scientists call these layers horizons. Each
horizon looks different and has its own special
features. By studying the different horizons, soil scientists
can figure out how old a soil is and how it formed.
 ~ The humus has lots of organic matter. Many insects
_ and worms live here because it is full of dead and decaying
plants. It’s where the nutrients get recycled and returned to the soil. ae

The topsoil is important for plants because it’s the layer where they
put their roots. Farmers want good, rich topsoil so their crops
can grow fast andstrong. :
.The subsoil is !sually heavy and hard to dig in because it has a lot
more clay in it. The subsoil has almost no organic matter.When people
= ild homes with basements, the “usually dig righ t into the subsoil.
- The parent ‘material IS Bee and hard. Much of the time,
eee:
: foundations are placed i
in the parent material because it _
/ Provides thebest support. |
Parent Material
 3 ak ms

oils that have ~

a hard, compact subsoil are ideal foundations for roads
and parking lots.
 Around the world, soil scientists have discovered
more than 100,000 different types of soil! Sometimes
it's hard to tell where one soil ends and another
begins, so scientists make special soil maps to show
where different soils are. By using soil maps and
following the suggestions of soil scientists, people
g can select the best use for their soil.
aaa bare of plants. When plants and trees are
gone, there is nothing to help hold the soil in place.
Bare topsoil can be easily washed away by rainwater
and blown away by the wind.

Like the air we breathe and the water we drink,

_SOil is an important resource that we all depend on.
By protecting forests and grasslands, you're actually
Bere cuing the soil peeye Remer mboaconce ia has been’
munching on an
apple or an ear of
corn, don't forget to
think about the soil.
After all, dirt made
your dinner!

a cS te
SNe we
A SoiL EcoSyStem at Play
You can make your
own model soil ecosystem. ees
Nine

ety egos
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ae
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-
4.
Here’s what you’ll need: i
a clean, clear plastic 1. Have an adult cut the top off 2. Find an organic garden area or
2-liter soda bottle the soda bottle about 8 inches a forest where you can dig
& from the bottom. about 4 cups of natural soil.
4 cups of garden soil*
»
, scissors
&
some grass seed or
wild bird seed
=
& r
&
a spray bottle of water
& pea
-

a large rubber band

&
=
~—
6-inch square of cloth ~7_
ee SiG tionnaire

3. Put the soil in the cut-off 4. Sprinkle a small amount of

bottle. Smooth it out with seed on the soil. Spray lightly
the spoon. with water.
Every three days take the
cloth cover off the bottle
and give the soil a light \
i

spray with water. Make

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[,]) the Society's mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. It reaches more than 400
‘million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and Book design by LeSales Dunworth. Character concept by Nancy Woodman
: Colinas antetezevAla\cooaNFelulelaya\i ©reysig-lo\aien @iar-lalailpiccl evs oakeeraUlaniaipiclalesaanlUslera-\ellor flags ie Ree oe uilans The display type is sett ant oe
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_ Projects and supports an education program promoting geographic literacy. Kelsey Carlson, Education Consultant
For imore information please call !-800-NGS LINE (647-5463) or write to the following address: The Library of Congress cataloged the 2002 edition as follows:
Tomecek, Steve.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY Dirt / by Stephen M. Tomecek ; illustrated by Nancy Woodman.
1145 17th Street N.W.
Washington, D.C, 20036-4688 US.A. : Ce ee
Summary: Brief text explores how soil is formed, its layers, and its
ES Bap i pst ees ae . F importance as a natural resource that living things’‘need to survive.
. a Visit the Society's Web site: www.nationalgeographic.com ISBN 0-7922-8204-3 (hardcover)
_The artist created her art by painting watercolors on watercolor paper. |. Soils—Juvenile literature. 2. Soil ecology—Juvenile literature.
a [!. Soils. 2. Soil ecology. 3. Ecology.]. |, Woodman, Nancy, ill. Il:Title. Ill. Series.
: ave a "Text copyright © 2002 Stephen M. Tomecek ‘ $591.3 .166 2002 * 63:}.4—-de2| 2001003069
ae illustrations copyright © 2002 Nancy Woodman
Compilation copyright © 2002 National Geographic Society National Geographic supports K-!2 educators with ELA Common Core Resources.
: WAalarclicictolstonolgeniaolanlanlelareolxcutolg anlolnchialiolanaruilelay
Reprinted in paperback and library binding, 2016
Paperback ISBN: 978- |-4263-2362-1 ealaincver ian @laliare!
Nclinifelneccollllolg-lp yaollarellaealis]=] NEkWAst ie PASS EPRI oieets) |5/PPS/1

"Published by the National Geographic Society.

uM rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents
without written permission from the publisher is prohibited.
Can you explain how rock becomes sediment? What :
are the basic four types of sediment?
2. Why is it a good sign to see earthworms in soil?
3. If you were-planting a garden, which soil horizon
would be best to put the roots of the plants in?
 kids.nationalgeographic.com
natgeoed.org/commoncore
REINFORCED LIBRARY BINDING
ISBN 978-1-4263-2363-8 /PRINTED
IN CHINA

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