Soils of the Plateau Menu

John Foss University of Tennessee

TEACHING OUTLINE: SOILS OF THE KARAK PLATEAU

1. Introduction

   1. Definition of soil: "Soils are natural bodies on the earth surface with characteristics resulting from past and present weathering processes regulated by the factors of soil formation (climate, vegetation, geology, topography, time).

   2. Importance of soils: consider agricultural impact

      1. Why can the U.S. provide over 40% of the world's grain supply?
         Relationship to the corn belt in the Midwest-with favorable soils and climatic conditions

   3. Geography: Location of Jordan and Karak Plateau

2. Soils of the Karak Plateau

   1. Use Figure 1, the satellite map of the Karak Plateau

      1. Locate specific features: Dead Sea; deeply dissected wadis to the north and south

   2. Study scale of map: 1:100,000; show maps with different scales e.g. 1:24,000 (USGS topographic map)

   3. Study the tone in the agricultural areas: Why the darker tone in Unit 4 vs. Unit 12? The darker tones are the result of more dense vegetation. This is related to both the increased rainfall in the region and the depth of soils.

   4. Compare climate of Karak Plateau with your local conditions\

   5. Compare the geology of the Karak Plateau with your local conditions

   6. Study the characteristics of the soil association units and their appearance on the satellite image

   7. How would Wadi al-Mujib and Wadi al-Hisa protect the Moabites from other tribes or enemies?

3. LAND RESOURCE ISSUES

   1. Compare land resource issues of the Karak Plateau with your local conditions

   2. How has urbanization changed your landscapes? Should states or counties preserve the best agricultural lands from urbanization?

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