BLACKBEARD

Blackbeard Facts

Blackbeard Facts

Blackbeard Facts

Blackbeard Facts

Blackbeard Facts

Blackbeard Facts

Blackbeard’s Buried Treasure

A Soil Science Mystery for Middle School Students

Objectives• Learn about soil properties and interpret

evidence to find buried treasure.

• 6.E.2.3 Explain how the formation of soil is related to the parent rock type and the environment in which it develops.

• 6.E.2.4 Conclude that the good health of humans requires: monitoring the lithosphere, maintaining soil quality and stewardship.

– Color

– Horizon profile

– Infiltration

– Soil temperature

– Structure

– Consistence

– Texture

– Particle size

– pH

– Fertility

– Soil moisture

Focus Question• What are the different

properties of soil?

• How is this information useful in solving the mystery

of Blackbeard’s treasure?

The Mysterious History of Blackbeard

Let’s read together to learn more!

• Why would the boot lead to buried treasure?

• What information do you need to know to solve the mystery?

• What steps do you plan to take?

The NC Times All the dirt that’s fit to print

Ocracoke Groundskeeper Finds Blackbeard’s Boot by Clay Johnson

Procedure

• Introduction to each soil property– Soil Color, Structure, Texture,

Consistence, Horizon layers

• Each group gets a sample• Each group gets a “boot”

sample

‘X’ marks the spot

1X

5X

6X3X

2X4X

Soil Color

• The color tells us the relationship of the soil to water, the mineral and organic matter content.

• Instead of the Munsell Color Chart, we will use a simple crayon color chart to find the color of our soil.

Crayon Color Crayon Color ChartChart

Soil Structure

• The structure is determined by the soil particles grouping into clumps called “peds”.

• These impact water infiltration and runoff from the soil surface.

• There are six primary shapes.

Determining Soil Structure

• Granular: looks like cookie crumbs• Blocky: looks like peas or walnuts• Platy: looks like flat pieces that stack• Columnar: looks like rounded columns• Single-Grained: look like sandy & small• Massive: looks like hard to break apart

Determining Soil Structure• Granular

• Blocky

• Platy

• Columnar

• Single-Grained

• Massive

Soil Texture

• Soil is made up of mineral particles in three sizes: sand, silt, and clay.

• Let’s get out of our seats to better understand these three textures! Listen for directions

Soil Consistency

• Stickiness: how much the soil adheres, or stick to objects.

• Plasticity: how much the soil can be worked into a worm shape without breaking.

• Rupture resistance: how much pressure a ped can take before falling apart.

Follow-Up Questions• Which group thinks they know where

Blackbeard’s treasure is hidden? • In what ways does their data support this

conclusion? • Do other groups think they have the location?

Why or why not?• What soil property enabled students to figure

out the mystery? • What characteristics did the soils have in

common? What properties were different? • Why do soils have different properties? • What new questions do students have about

soils?

• Protecting the soil– 2,000,000,000,000 Project