Bedrock Formation
Site 6 is located close to the western edge of the Monkton Quartzite formation in Niquette Bay State Park. The site has dramatic topography and hydrologic features, but it is at nearly the lowest elevation and least exposure in the park with dense vegetation and sediment deposition from the stream. These conditions characterize the deep, sandy soil found on this site (described in greater detail in another section of this blog).
There is no exposed bedrock on our site, but we can identify the quartzite bedrock geology based on the map and our observations of the soil and the boulders found in the stream. The soil pH here is lower than we would expect to find in the more alkaline soils formed over Dunham Dolostone (which dominates up the western side of the park's bedrock geology). This holds true in the typically acidic conifer stands on the hill as well as the northern hardwoods near the stream. More evidence for the Monkton Quartzite bedrock geology is its non-reactivity with Hydrochloric Acid. Calcereous dolostone would react strongly, foaming immediately upon contact with the 10% acidic solution.
Soil Types and Layers
Our site is a ravine with steep hill sides with a flat land area at its base with a small stream flowing through. Because of the change in elevation and land, we dug two soil pits in order to understand how the soil changes.
The First Pit-
The first pit was located on the southeast corner of our plot, and on top of the hill leading into the ravine. The horizons here were much clearer to see, and the soil was a loamy sand. The pH ranged from 4.5 in the O and A horizons, to 5.5 in the B1 and B2 horizons, to 5.6 in the C horizon.
Soil pH GraphBelow is a graph of the soil pH's in both of the pits. It shows the slight, but not very variable, pH change in the different horizons.
The First Pit-
The first pit was located on the southeast corner of our plot, and on top of the hill leading into the ravine. The horizons here were much clearer to see, and the soil was a loamy sand. The pH ranged from 4.5 in the O and A horizons, to 5.5 in the B1 and B2 horizons, to 5.6 in the C horizon.
The Second Pit-
The second pit was located in the Northwest corner of our plot, in the ravine along the stream. Because of the proximity to the stream, the soil was a much more moist sand, almost clay texture. The horizons here were much less distinct and harder to point out. The pH did not vary much, with all horizons being close or at 5.5.
Soil pH Graph
