How long does it take to make top soil?
How long soils take to form depends on the type of bedrock, climate, and vegetation. Let’s suppose a large, flat, level area of bare, limestone rock was exposed today in a humid, temperate climate (such as the bottom of an abandoned quarry that is allowed to drain and not fill with water). Plant seedlings would sprout in cracks and crevices during the first warm season. Small amounts of eroded rock debris and wind-blown sediment would accumulate in these cracks and crevices and in other low spots. This would enable larger plants to take hold. Chemical weathering by dissolved CO2 and other compounds in rainwater, along with mechanical weathering by frost action, rain and wind would slowly disintegrate the rock surface. As vegetation increases, so would the amount of organic material to this loose sediment. After about 150,000 years, there may likely be about a foot of organic soil present, assuming no mass erosion or deposition took place (which shouldn’t on flat, level ground in that amount of time). Keep in mind that soils build downward; they do not accumulate upward.
Tom Esposito
That sure gives it more value than Dirt. So how have you treated your Topsoil today. Here at Marchese Construction we treat our “DIRT” like gold. As we begin site work on a project we carefully remove the topsoil from areas that will be regraded. The material is stockpiled and held in reserve until the end of the project. We even plant grass on it to keep it from blowing away. Then it is redistributed and used to support the planting on the new site. During construction we follow the best management practices of the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Their web site is http://gaswcc.georgia.gov/02/gaswcc/home/0,2464,28110777,00.html. The Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission (GSWCC) provides soil and water resource information; education; technical, financial, and planning assistance; and program oversight to locally led soil and water conservation districts, landowners/users, and local, state, and federal governments to maintain, conserve, and wisely use the soil and water resources for all Georgians. Joe Marchese is a level IB Certified Inspector with the GSWCC. The guidelines for the NPDES- National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System are also followed. More information on the NPDES can be found at http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/index.cfm. Another site to be aware of is the Georgia Environmental Protection Division at http://www.gaepd.org/.
