Dirt vs. Soil EarthCache
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Sorry to say but this EarthCache will not be showing a
spectacular location, instead it will be teaching a valuable
lesson. The idea came about from one of my other EarthCaches when I
kept getting dirt as an answer to one of the logging requirement
questions. It just kind of rubbed me the wrong way so I thought,
"Why don't I make an EarthCache to explain the difference between
soil and dirt". Well here it is!
Dirt is a matrix of unwanted or undesired mixture of
household dust, soil, and other solids found on floors and in
carpets. Most household dust is generated by the inhabitants
(especially domesticated pets such as dogs, cats and birds), and
mainly from their skin cells that slough off.
Soil is the result of the process of the gradual breakdown
of rock. As rock becomes broken down through a variety of
processes, such as weathering and erosion, the particles become
ground smaller and smaller.
The top layer of soil is called the organic horizon or O horizon.
It consists of detritus (bodies of dead organisms, fragments of
organisms, and/or faecal material), leaf litter, and other organic
material lying on the surface of the soil. This layer is dark
because of the decomposition that is occurring. This layer is not
present in farm fields. Below the O horizon is the topsoil or A
horizon. Usually it is darker than lower layers, loose and crumbly
with varying amounts of organic matter. In farmed fields, the
plowed layer is topsoil. This is generally the most productive
layer of the soil. As water moves down through the topsoil, many
soluble minerals and nutrients dissolve. The dissolved materials
leach downward into lower horizons. The next layer is the subsoil
or B horizon. Subsoils are usually lighter in color, dense and low
in organic matter. Most of the materials leached from the A horizon
stops in this zone. Still deeper is the C horizon. It is a
transition area between soil and parent material. Partially
disintegrated parent material and mineral particles may be found in
this horizon. At some point the C horizon will give up to the final
horizon, bedrock.
Your EarthCache Lesson, Determine Specific Soil
Types
There is an enormous diversity of soils across the world. This is
hardly surprising given the fact that soil formation and soil type
are influenced by several key factors: the parent material, usually
rock or sediment, but occasionally organic materials such as peat;
climate, particularly temperature and rainfall; vegetation and
other biota; topography/ relief; time; and, increasingly, the
influence of humans. All these factors will have an influence on
soil development and hence soil type. The potential for different
combinations of these factors across the world is immense and hence
it is not surprising that there are many thousands of different
types of soil in the world, with different properties and
potential.
There are several ways of classifying a soil, from the simple to
the complex. A soil type may be as simple as 'a sandy soil' or 'a
clayey soil' and this is often the perception of many land users,
such as farmers or civil engineers, who see it as material they
have to deal with to achieve an end result, such as the growing of
a crop of wheat, or the building a road.
Simple classifications tend to be of local and restricted
relevance only. At the other end of the spectrum is the soil
scientist who needs to understand how soils have formed, which
types occur where, and for what the different types of soil can be
used. The soil scientist seeks a much broader understanding, with
the aim of underpinning the use and preservation of this important
natural resource, and this has manifested itself in a number of
detailed soil classification systems worldwide. The two most widely
used international classifications are those of Soil Taxonomy
(developed by the US Soil Conservation Service) and based on soil
properties that can be objectively measured and observed and the
FAO/UNESCO legend/classification which is along broadly similar
lines but not as precisely defined.
To claim this EarthCache as a find you must
determine the soil type of the location posted below. To figure the
soil type at the location you must 1.) physically visit the
location to do a visual inspection to determine if the natural soil
is still present (e. g., not graded away for commercial or
recreation uses), and 2.) visit the link on the user's web
page to go to the Soil Survey of Delaware County, Ohio. Once on
the web site, you will need to look for the map sheet(s) within
Delaware County that containing the location (Soil
Information\District Soil Resources\Maps\DPF Format or JPEG
Format). Click on the location and will get a black and white map
with soil type indications (i. e., BoA). Then follow the links to
the Soil Symbol Index that will give the name of the map symbol (i.
e., Blount silt loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes). Finally, go to the
Soil Survey Manuscript where you will get a describtion of that
soil.
This is what I need emailed as well as
your results of the physically visit to the
location.
In addition, your find log must
include photographs of yourself displaying your GPSr from these
locations. Please be careful to compose your photograph as not to
give away any important information.
LOCATION:
N 40° 17.365 W 083° 06.790
Developed by A Platinum EarthCache
Master
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