Soils of RI #18: Tisbury Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This is the 18th in a series of caches honoring the 58 different types of soils found within the State of Rhode Island. Soils were a major factor in the settling and early farming of RI, and soils continue to influence our industry, recreation, wildlife, and homes. As you complete this series, please take note of how the soil is determined in-part by the landscape position (summit, sideslope, drainageway), which in turn affects the vegetation.
Another cache in Snake Den State Park. This cache location is within an area of moderately well-drained Tisbury soil. Tisbury soils are in a drainage sequence with the nearby Enfield and Raypol caches. Tisbury soils are a transitional soil between the well-drained (drier) Enfield soils and the poorly-drained (wetter) Raypol soils. Tisbury soils may hyave a water table anywhere from 12 to 24 inches from the soil surface.
High fives to KATnDOGZ for the FTF!
Tisbury soils formed in two types of parent material. The deeper layers of the soil are water-sorted sands and gravels that were deposited by glacial meltwaters 14,000 to 18,000 years ago. After the meltwaters subsided, winds picked up fine soil particles such as silt and fine sands and deposited them on top of the sands and gravels. The finer soil layers are often called loess.
Tisbury soils are excellent for agriculture. The loess makes for excellent topsoil, as it holds water well and provides good soil structure. Common crops include corn, nuresery stock, vegetables, and silage. Areas that are still forested are dominated by red, white and black oak, red maple, white ash, gray birch, white pine and hemlock. The soil is not well suited to housing, as the high water table makes for wet basements, and the sandy outwash materials can cause problems with septic systems.
It's worth mentioning that this area of Tisbury soil is actually the "typical soil location" mentioned in the 1981 Soil Survey published by the NRCS. Oooh... famous soil!
Cache is located in the woods between two of the farm fields. I included a waypoint for a road pulloff where you can park pretty close to the cache. There is no hunting in this part of the park, but I would still recommend wearing your orange during hunting season. CC contains a log, pencil, official series description, and swag. Please rehide well.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Jbbq qroevf, ohg abg va gur hfhny fcbg.