Black Belt EarthCache

The Black Belt is a physical region in Alabama and Mississippi, so named for its soil. The Black Belt region is a fertile plain, generally 25–30 miles wide and stretching approximately 300 miles across central Alabama and northeastern Mississippi. A region of dark, calcareous soils, it was one of the South’s most important agricultural areas before the American Civil War. Though corn was also grown, cotton was the most important crop until the destructive effects of the boll weevil encouraged agricultural diversification in the early years of the 20th century. Beef cattle and soybeans are now also raised in the area.

The posted coordinates will take you to a section of the Black Belt in this area. You can safely park on the side of the street. Please be aware of the traffic as you exit your vehicle. The answers you seek can be obtained without venturing very far off the shoulder of the roadway. To get credit for this EarthCache, simply answer the following four questions and send them to me in a message:

Question #1: How large is the area of Selma Chalk (limestone) that you see here?

Question #2: What evidence on the ground do you see that indicates that this area was covered by an ocean?

Question #3: How many miles wide is the Black Belt region?

Question #4: In your best description, how would you describe the texture of the Selma Chalk (limestone)?

Once you have sent the answers of the four questions in a message, please post a photograph of yourself with the Selma Chalk behind you. The photograph is NOT required.

Ages ago this area was under an arm of the ocean. Shells and other marine organisms were deposited to form the limestone seen here. Exposure of the limestone to all types of weathering, gradually changed it into a heavy fertile soil of various colors. The dominant black soil which before cultivation was prairie grassland has given the area the name black belt, or black prairie. The black belt extends south beyond Columbus, Mississippi then trends eastward across nearly all of Alabama. Formerly one of America's great cotton areas, it is now considered excellent pasture for livestock.
The Black Belt region begins in McNairy County in south Tennessee, extends south through east-central Mississippi and east to Russell County in south-east Alabama not too far from the Georgia state line. This area is composed of primarily Selma Chalk (also known as rotten limestone). The Selma Chalk is made up of Upper Cretaceous marine deposits. In the map below you can see the crescent shaped Black Belt Section.