Re: The Word

["King, Norm" <nking.ucs@smtp.usi.edu>]

In what looked like a run-together message (???), Martin asked (04/03/96; 
11:35a):

>Isn't it the plants themselves that produce the topsoil (my
>geomorphology is rusty here)? So without ground cover plants, how
>could there be topsoil to erode?

The role of plants in soil formation is a bit more complicated than that. 
 For possible further discussion on this specific topic, it might be more 
productive to abandon the term "topsoil," and use standard soil horizon 
terminology.  It's getting away from dinosaurs, though.


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Norman R. King                                       tel:  (812) 464-1794
Department of Geosciences                            fax:  (812) 464-1960
University of Southern Indiana
8600 University Blvd.
Evansville, IN 47712                      e-mail:  nking.ucs@smtp.usi.edu