Soil Pit

Interpretation:

This soil is likely alfisol because this pit was dug in a deciduous forest. The O horizon was thin and unconsolidated with leaf litter and a variety of organic matter. The A horizon was moist and dark in color and thinner than the underlying layers. This horizon has it's dark color because of the decompotion of organic matter from the humic acids and high carbon dioxide concentrations in the soils. The water from this horizon leeches into the layers beneath and gives the B horizon the orangey color from oxidation of elements like iron and aluminum. The C horizon gets lighter in color and drier with depth. There also is the presence of some unsorted pebbles and cobbles. The C horizon has much more unsorted pebbles and cobbles, likely glacially deposited till (or potentially glacial lake sediment). The C horizon is very compact and contains the parent material on which the other horizons lay. Each of the horizon contacts are relatively undulating, and there are not any sharp contacts. Specifically, between the A and B horizons, the contact is somewhat gradual, indicating that this soil horizons are likely natural and not disturbed by humans. It also reason to infer that there was not plowing that occurred in this area because the forest is dense and the trees are too old for plowing to have occured.