Soils of RI #30: Stissing Traditional Cache
Soils of RI #30: Stissing
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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This is the 30th 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 soils cache located within the Simmons Mill Pond Management Area. Western RI is dominated by soils that formed from granite, schist, and gneiss. The East-Bay (and portions of Warwick and Narragansett) formed from Narragansett Bay sediments picked up and subsequently deposited by glaciers 14,000 - 18,000 years ago. These sediments are derived mainly from dark sandstone, conglomerate, argillite, and phyllite. These materials are high in carbon, and therefore lead to dark soils that look much different from other RI soils.
This cache is part of a drainage sequence with Newport, Pittstown, and Mansfield (getting progressively wetter). Stissing soils are the poorly-drained of this group. During the spring, groundwater can typically be found 8" below the soil surface.
These soils formed in lodegment till. Glacial till is an unsorted mixture of soil materials deposited directly by glaciers 14,000 - 18,000 years ago. The term lodgement refers to the fact that this till was compressed under the tremendous weight of the glacier. This compaction has caused the deeper soil layers to have an extremely dense consistency. These dense layers can sometimes be impossible to dig through with just a shovel!
Most areas of Pittstown soil are forested containing red maple, elm, ash, willow, gray birch, white pine, alders, and hemlock. Some areas are cleared and used for pasture. These soils are classified as hydric soils and are therefore considred wetland soils and are protected under RIDEM's Freshwater Wetlands Act.
Hunting is allowed in the management area, so please follow the orange requirements during hunting season.
CC is a regular-sized L&L. It is located just off the main trail and contains an official series description and some swag. I also included a piece of the dark phyllite-rich rock that these soils formed in. Please rehide well!
Congrats to BBWolf+3Pigs and Nomad64 for the FTF!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Zzzzz... ovepu orre.