A soil coring rig is being used to core surficial materials to a depth of 25 feet or greater, increasing students' exposure to a wide range of material only accessible through study of intact soil cores. The easily extracted cores allow students to map subsurface paleotopography, ascertain bulk density, particle size over depth and soil structure over depth, do stratigraphic correlations, describe soil horizonation, ascertain the extent of cultural overburden, and relate soil properties to rooting depth for trees and other plants. This equipment is shared by five departments at Memphis State University and Rhodes College.
