Muskeg is an acidic soil type common in arctic and boreal areas, although it is found in other northern climates as well. Soil pH is the PH of soil water It is based on the measurement of pH which depends on the activity of Hydrogen Ions (H+ in a solution The Arctic is the Region around the Earth 's North Pole, opposite the Antarctic region around the South Pole. Muskeg is more-or-less synonymous with bogland but muskeg is the standard term in Canada and Alaska (while bog is more common elsewhere). A bog or mire is a Wetland type that accumulates Acidic Peat, a deposit of dead plant material &ndash usually Mosses but also Large tracts of this soil existing in Siberia may be called muskeg or bogland interchangeably. Muskeg consists of dead plants in various states of decomposition (as peat), ranging from fairly intact sphagnum moss, to sedge peat, to highly decomposed muck. Decomposition (or spoilage) refers to the break down of tissue of a formerly living Organism into simpler forms of matter Peat is an accumulation of partially Decayed Vegetation matter. Mosses are small soft Plants that are typically 1–10  cm (0 Pieces of wood such as buried tree branches can make up five to 15 percent of the peat soil. Wood is hard fibrous lignified structural tissue produced as secondary Xylem in the stems of Woody plants notably trees but also shrubs Soil, often typeset as SOiL, is a four piece rock band from Chicago Illinois United States founded by Shaun Glass Tom Schofield Tim King and Adam Zadel Muskeg tends to have a water table very near the surface. The water table is the level at which the ground water pressure is equal to Atmospheric pressure. As well, the sphagnum moss forming it can hold 15 to 30 times its own weight in water, allowing the spongy wet muskeg to form even on sloping ground. Sphagnum is a Genus of between 151-350 species of Mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in Peat bogs Muskeg patches are ideal habitats for beavers, pitcher plants, agaric mushrooms and a variety of other organisms. Beavers are two primarily nocturnal semi-aquatic species of Rodent, one native to North America and one to Europe Pitcher plants are Carnivorous plants whose prey-trapping mechanism features a deep cavity filled with Liquid known as a pitfall trap. The order Agaricales, also known as gilled mushrooms (for their distinctive gills, or euagarics, contains some of the most familiar types of Mushrooms ^[1]

Composition

Stunted shore pine growing on muskeg in Wrangell, Alaska. Lodgepole Pine ( Pinus contorta) is a common Tree in western North America. Wrangell is a city and borough in Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 2308

Muskeg is wet, acidic, and relatively infertile which prevents large trees from growing, although stunted Shore Pine, Cottonwood, some species of Willow, and Black Spruce are typically found. Lodgepole Pine ( Pinus contorta) is a common Tree in western North America. The cottonwoods are three species of Poplars in the section Aegiros of the genus Populus, native to North America, Europe and western Willows, sallows and osiers form the Genus Salix, around 400 species of Deciduous Trees and Shrubs found primarily Picea mariana ( Black Spruce) is a species of Spruce native to northern North America, from Newfoundland west to Alaska It needs two conditions to develop: abundant rain and cool summers. A dead plant that falls on dry soil is normally attacked by bacteria and fungi and quickly rots; if however the same plant lands in water or on saturated soil it faces a different fate. The Bacteria ( singular: bacterium) are a large group of unicellular Microorganisms Typically a few Micrometres in length bacteria have A fungus (ˈfʌŋgəs is a eukaryotic Organism that is a member of the kingdom Fungi (ˈfʌndʒaɪ Less oxygen is available under water so aerobic bacteria and fungi fail to colonize the submerged debris effectively. In addition, cool temperatures retard bacterial and fungal growth. These effects slow decomposition, and thus the plant debris gradually accumulates to form peat and eventually muskeg. Depending on the underlying topography of the land, muskeg can reach depths of 30 metres (100 ft) or more. Topography ( topo-, "place" and graphia, "writing" is the study of Earth 's Surface features or those of Planets

Description

Poplar growing on muskeg

Although at first glance muskeg resembles a plain covered with short grasses, a closer look will reveal a bizarre and almost unearthly landscape. Populus is a genus of between 25–35 species of Flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. In Geography, a plain is an area of land with relatively low relief — meaning that it is flat Small stands of stunted and often dead trees that vaguely resemble Bonsai trees grow where land protrudes above the water table, with small pools of water stained a dark red scattered about. Bonsai (盆栽 literally "potted plant" is the art of Aesthetic miniaturization of Trees by growing them in containers The water table is the level at which the ground water pressure is equal to Atmospheric pressure. Its benign grassland appearance invites the unaware to walk on it; however, traveling through muskeg is a very strange and dangerous experience to the unaccustomed. Muskeg can grow directly on top of bodies of water, especially small ponds and streams. Because of the water beneath, the muskeg surface sometimes ripples when walked upon. Thinner patches can allow large animals to drop through, becoming trapped under the muskeg and drowning. Moose are at a special disadvantage in muskeg due to their long legs, minimal foot area, and large mass; young moose are occasionally encountered in muskeg covered ponds submerged up to their torsos or necks, unaware that the ground was not stable enough for them to walk on.

Working on Muskeg

Heavy equipment breaking through thawing muskeg in Wabasca Oil Field in Alberta. Wabasca is an Oil field in a remote area of Northern Alberta, where heavy petroleum is produced

Muskeg can be a significant impediment to transportation. During the 1870s, muskeg in Northern Ontario was reported to have swallowed a railroad engine whole when a track was laid on muskeg instead of clearing down to bedrock. Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec An engine is a mechanical device that produces some form of output from a given input Bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet usually the Earth. Many other instances have been reported of heavy construction equipment vanishing into muskeg in the spring as the frozen muskeg on which the vehicle was parked thawed. Spring is one of the four Temperate Seasons Spring marks the transition from Winter into Summer. Construction in muskeg-laden areas sometimes requires the complete removal of the soil and filling with gravel. If the muskeg is not completely cleared to bedrock then its high water content will cause buckling and distortion from winter freezing, much like permafrost. This article is about frozen ground For other meanings see Permafrost (disambiguation.

Tracked Excavator placing corduroy on muskeg near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta

One method of working on top of muskeg safely is to place down large logs on the ground, then cover those logs with a thick layer of clay or other stable material. Rocky Mountain House is a Town in west- Central Alberta, Canada, at the confluence of the Clearwater Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained Minerals which show plasticity through a variable range of Water content, and This is commonly called a corduroy road. A Corduroy road or log road is a type of Road made by placing Sand -covered Logs Perpendicular to the direction of the road over a low To increase the effectiveness of the corduroy, prevent erosion^[2] and to allow removal of material with less disturbance of the muskeg, sometimes a geotextile fabric is placed down before the logs. Erosion is the carrying away or displacement of solids ( Sediment, Soil, rock and other particles usually by the agents of currents such as wind Geotextiles are permeable Fabrics which when used in association with Soil, have the ability to separate filter reinforce protect or drain

Caterpillar D300E hauling on a Corduroy road built over muskeg

References

1. ^ muskeg
2. ^ Government of Alberta: Geotechnical and Erosion Control