Distribute the color books, if they haven’t already been passed out.
Color of soils is mainly due to (1) organic matter content and (2) presence and chemical form of Fe and Mn.
1. Both of these properties are important in the identification of hydric soils.
2. Common names for colors (e.g., light red, grayish brown) mean different things to different people. Soil scientists describe color using Munsell Soil Color Charts (Kollmorgen Instruments Corporation, Newburgh, NY).
The Munsell color system embodies three aspects of color -- hue, value, and chroma.
