Welcome to Sequoia National Park, a place full of complex ecology. In this EarthCache, we will explore the soils that allow these giant trees to live here. Be sure to pack plenty of water, some snacks to eat, and perhaps even a magnifying glass for this adventure.
Visiting Sequoia National Park requires a $35 per vehicle entrance fee. This fee can also be covered by the America the Beautiful pass (annual, senior, military, 4th grader, or access) so if you have one of those, please remember to bring it.
The location of this cache is accessible seasonally, since snow covers up the soils we are about to investigate. Check the Sequoia National Park website (nps.gov/seki) for current conditions.
The soil underlying General Sherman, the largest tree by volume in the world, is Tharpslog soil. The Tharpslog series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils formed in colluvium and slope alluvium with material derived from granite. Tharpslog soils are common on mountain slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where slopes range from 10 to 60 percent. The first inch of this soil layer is composed of decomposed plant material, which transitions to coarse sandy loam for the four inches below that.
At the cache coordinates is a bench, behind which is an eroded example of the coarse sandy loam portion of Tharpslog soil. Beyond the fences that protect the giant sequoias, you can see the Tharpslog's top layer of decomposed plant material. For the following questions, compare what you see in the eroded bench section to the areas protected by the fences. Please stay on the paved trail and behind the fences while making your observations.
To earn credit for this EarthCache, please send me your answers to the following questions. Please do not put your answers in your log!
1.) Looking at soils protected by the fences, what kinds of plant material do you see in the top layer of the Tharpslog soil here? What sizes are the pieces and how decomposed are they?
2.) In the eroded section behind the bench, what is the color and texture of the soil? What is the main material? If you see any pieces of gravel, what is the average size?
Pictures are not required for completing this cache, but if you would like to add a picture of your trip to the General Sherman area to your log, you are more than welcome to do so! Thank you for visiting!