Hi everyone!
This Tuesday we studied the water table and water cycle in class, including how soil composition is a factor in how the rainwater behaves. Clay in the soil prevents water from soaking in as quickly, so the more of the rain runs off. Sand and larger rocks are the opposite, and the water sinks down and away. Bedrock underneath can stop water from going deeper, and holds it near the surface where plants can reach it.
While obviously getting down to bedrock is difficult, just a shallow hole can show you a lot! I explained that in my backyard, there's a thin layer of loam, which is a mixture of dead plant material that soaks up water very well, followed by a thick clay layer. I told everyone to dig a hole to see what the soil in their own backyard is like, then bring that soil to class in a jar, ideally a glass one so we can see into it. They don't need to worry about preserving the soil layers for transport, but I'd like them all to tell what layers they saw when digging.
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