Horizons. The word has scientific and literal interpretations but it also has figurative meaning. A person's "horizons" are the limits of their ideas, knowledge, and experience. Or something is “on the horizon”, an idea, a goal, a dream….
It’s interesting that the soil layers of the earth have been named “Horizons” implying the uncovering of future understanding not yet understood. Just as space, or the depths of the ocean elude our human limitations so do the many layers that compose our earth.
We do not fully understand all the layers of the earth’s core. Due to the extreme conditions, human exploration has been impossible. Instead scientists rely on indirect methods like seismic wave analysis and gravitational studies.
The world is still a vast and mysterious place. Unconquerable.
We do know there are many different types of soil. Dig deep through the earth and you will see it’s made of layers. The Horizon layers - O, A, E, B, C & R.
All together, these horizons weave a tale of time and origin. Each layer tells a story about the life of the soil.
Most soils have three major horizons - A,B & C and some have an organic origin - horizon O
The Horizons :
O - (humus) mostly organic matter, like decomposing leaves
A - (topsoil) mostly minerals from parent material with a bit of organic matter mixed in. This is a soil that plants and organisms thrive in
E - (elevated) leached of clay, minerals and organic matter. This soil is composed of sand, silt particles of quarts or other inflexible materials - often found in older soils and forest soils
B - (subsoil) Rich in minerals that moved down from the A or E horizons and accumulated in place
C - (parent material) The deposit at our Earth’s very surface from which all the soil developed
R (bedrock) A mass of rock such as granite, basalt, quartzite, limestone or sandstone - the Grandparent soils if you will
(If the bedrock is close enough to the surface to weather - it is still not soil as it is still located beneath the C horizon)
I love science and I love the mystery. I don’t find the two concepts incompatible. What we know and what we feel…the transmissions from the earth, from the ethers that whisper to us are all viable information.
Knowing changes, what we thought we knew we come to learn we did not know. One thing that remains consistent, is that this earth reflects back to us our own internal stories and horizons.
How are you formed? What are your layers? What is at your core?
Nature, with some simple observation, will reflect our own humanity. Through the stories of plants and animals and weather. Through growth and decay, abundance and fallow ground. We are made of endless horizons.