Soils - junior cert geography

Describe what leaching is Fill in the blanks below The most common soil type in Ireland is brown earth soil. It is usually found in the lowlands and in the midlands of Ireland. This soil type developed on the boulder clay that was deposited after the last ice age. Which tree type usually develops on brown earth soil? Explain why soils under deciduous trees have high levels of humus (also explain how humus is created and the effect it has on soil) Podzol soils experience high levels of leaching. This creates a hardpan. Explain what this is and where is it found Fill in the blanks below Gley soils are grey in colour. It usually develops where the bedrock or clay above it is waterlogged. Due to the waterlogging it means this soil is not fertile. Why are tropical red soils a reddish colour? Fill in the blanks below Tropical red soils are found in areas with hot and wet climatic conditions in tropical and equatorial zones. There's a lot of chemical weathering because of high temperatures and heavy rainfall. Continuous year round leaf fall and rapid vegetation growth means that there is a high humus content. There is a lot of rain which causes leaching to happen. These soils are very fertile. When forests are cut down it decreases the levels of humus. Match the soil type to the correct description Tropical Red Soil Fertile, high humus content, tropical and equatorial zones Peaty Soils Dark, poorly drained, waterlogged Brown Earth Soil Fertile, high humus content, developed on boulder clay Gley Soil Sticky, waterlogged, develop where bedrock above it is impermeable Podzol Soil Found under coniferous soils, little plant litter, small humus content, high leaching