Michigan soils were mostly formed from what parent material?

Michigan soils were mostly formed from what parent material?

• A. Glacial deposits
• B. Organic deposits
• C. Limestone
• D. Sandstone

Answer: (A)

Soil formation starts from the material beneath the surface, the parent material, and in Michigan that material is overwhelmingly glacial deposits. The state was repeatedly covered and reshaped by ice ages, leaving thick blankets of glacial till (a mix of clay, silt, sand, and gravel), as well as outwash sands and gravels and lake-bottom silts and clays as meltwater lakes stabilized. Over long periods, these materials weathered into the diverse Michigan soils we see today. While organic deposits exist in wetlands and there are pockets of limestone or sandstone in some areas, they are not the dominant source for most Michigan soils.

Soil formation starts from the material beneath the surface, the parent material, and in Michigan that material is overwhelmingly glacial deposits. The state was repeatedly covered and reshaped by ice ages, leaving thick blankets of glacial till (a mix of clay, silt, sand, and gravel), as well as outwash sands and gravels and lake-bottom silts and clays as meltwater lakes stabilized. Over long periods, these materials weathered into the diverse Michigan soils we see today. While organic deposits exist in wetlands and there are pockets of limestone or sandstone in some areas, they are not the dominant source for most Michigan soils.