Soil riddles: March 2026
Think you know soils? Test your knowledge in our new series, “Soil Riddles.”
If you are the first to guess the correct soil series name and its geographical location, we’ll publish your name along with the answer in an upcoming issue.
Soil Riddle 1
Where the trade winds cease and the sun beats down,
At a point where the compass finds southernmost ground,
Coastal slopes of a shield volcano gave me birth,
Where lava meets ocean at the island's rough surf.
Basic volcanic ash fell from the sky,
Over rugged aa where the land meets high.
Olivine sand sparkles in my A1 and A2,
Green crystals from magma, a mineralogist's view.
My Bw/2C1 horizon shows structure so weak,
Prismatic and silty where calcium streaks.
Fragmental 2C2 lies beneath with barely a trace,
Of soil in the cobbles, carbonate's pale trace.
Then 2R arrives, bluerock massive and hard,
A lithic contact ending my yard.
Medial-skeletal I stand in the torric regime,
Amorphic over mixed, an isohyperthermic dream.
A Typic Haplotorrand under skies ever dry,
Where evaporation exceeds rainfall supply.
Lantana and bermudagrass mark where I stay,
Near where ancient voyagers once found their way.
What is my series name, and where do I lie?
Last month's winners
Congratulations to Alex Kalisz and MaryBeth Gavin, who were the first to answer both riddles correctly for February 2026!
The correct answers for February were: the San Luis and Seitz soil series(es) in the San Luis Valley of Southern Colorado; Rio Grande County area.
Alex is a second-year Ph.D. student in pedology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW-Madison), studying the genesis and spectral properties of Andisols under Dr. Yakun Zhang. She is one of the coaches for the UW-Madison Soil Judging Team.
MaryBeth is a M.S. student studying Soil and Land Resources with Dr. Daniel Strawn at the University of Idaho (UI) where she investigates the efficacy of biochar amendments for selenium remediation for phosphate mine reclamation. Outside the lab, she co-coaches the UI Soil Judging Team, makes soil monoliths, and teaches soil science.
Text © . The authors. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Except where otherwise noted, images are subject to copyright. Any reuse without express permission from the copyright owner is prohibited.
