This week I took a hike with my family. At the start of the trail there was an interesting board about soil and I did research with my dad about it in the car on the way home. Kalkaska soil covers a million acres of michigan. It’s the official state soil. The soil was formed from glacial sand and gravel. It was formed about 10 thousand years ago. Healthy Kalkaska soil is super beneficial to trees, and helps Michigan have so many healthy forests.
Most of the soil on the trail had 4 layers. The first layer is just topsoil and things that come of plants. The second layer is rich minerals like iron and other organic materials. The third layer is similar, but its extra rich in aluminum. The last layer is large gravel chunks. I wonder how the layers stay separate. Are there worms in the bottom layer? I wonder how many types of soil are in michigan.