Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations.DIRT: The Erosion of Civilizations DAVID David, in the Bible David, d. c.970 B.C., king of ancient Israel (c.1010–970 B.C.), successor of Saul. The Book of First Samuel introduces him as the youngest of eight sons who is anointed king by Samuel to replace Saul, who had been deemed a failure. R. MONTGOMERY Dirt supports more than the objects that sit atop it. It supports civilizations, Montgomery points out. People obviously rely on dirt for agriculture and therefore sustenance Sustenance Amalthaea goat who provided milk for baby Zeus. [Gk. Myth.: Leach, 41] ambrosia food of the gods; bestowed immortal youthfulness. [Gk. Myth. . But history is full of examples of civilizations displaced displaced see displacement. or destroyed because they depleted de·plete tr.v. de·plet·ed, de·plet·ing, de·pletes To decrease the fullness of; use up or empty out. [Latin d their soil. Montgomery, a professor of earth and space sciences, provides a history of people's reliance on soil and warns that current methods of cultivation are exposing fertile dirt to the eroding effects of wind and rain. The author provides an overview of soil formation before and after life on Earth began. Since that turning point, soil formation has been a complex interplay of water, climate, minerals, vegetation, and soil-dwelling organisms. Today, most of the world's nations are losing soil faster that nature can make it. The answer to reversing that trend lies not in fertilizers and the cheap oil needed to produce them, the author asserts, but in no-till farming no-till farming or till-less agriculture Cultivation technique in which the soil is disturbed only along the slit or hole into which seeds are planted. Reserved detritus from previous crops covers and protects the seedbed. and other soil-conservation methods, such as reincorporating organic debris into existing soil. Univ. Calif. Press, 2007, 285 p., b&w photos, hardcover, $24.95. |
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