Representative Soil Profiles

Representative Soil Profiles

October 17, 2017

Morgan Mcleod shares profile images and insights into the 3 most prevalent soil types found at MPG.

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This summer I dug into road cuts to expose and photograph the three most prevalent of these soils: Bigarm, Winkler, and Repp.

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Bigarm (teal), the most abundant soil type, occupies 40% of the total land area. Winkler (light green) occupies 35%, Repp (purple) occupies 7%, and other soil types are less than 5% of total land area.

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Throughout the growing season, grass roots grow and die back in the top 12 inches of Bigarm soil.

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The grassland foothills and benches of MPG feature Bigarm soil.

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Winkler, like most pine forest soils, has surface layers that appear white or grey.

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Winkler, our second most common soil type, dominates Baldy’s forested slopes.

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Deep and well drained, Repp is our second most common forest soil.

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Roots and fungi glue mineral particles together in the upper layers of Repp, giving it a blocky appearance.

Previous Field Note

11-24-15 Phenology Field Note