Soil Absorption Lab (PDF)
Soil Absorption:
Today we are going to investigate a soil’s ability to allow water to infiltrate down through it, or its absorption. Absorption is an important property when considering the potential for erosion, or water’s ability to carry away soil materials, especially during a rain storm. Many factors influence a soil’s absorption potential including: the soil texture, compaction, macro-pores, and course fragments. We will experiment with some of these soil properties to see how infiltration is affected.
We need:
Soil Absorption:
Today we are going to investigate a soil’s ability to allow water to infiltrate down through it, or its absorption. Absorption is an important property when considering the potential for erosion, or water’s ability to carry away soil materials, especially during a rain storm. Many factors influence a soil’s absorption potential including: the soil texture, compaction, macro-pores, and course fragments. We will experiment with some of these soil properties to see how infiltration is affected.
We need:
- 1 two-liter bottle with the bottom cut off
- 2 large beakers (or large cans, or jars)
- several coffee filters
- 1 rubber band
- A chopstick
- Some gravel
- Some sand or a sandy soil
- Some clayey soil
- Some Peat Moss or compost
- A stop watch
- Experiment data sheet
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