Turf Cutting and Bogland on Achill IslandPart 1 - IntroductionThe ClimateThe landscape of Achill had been shaped both by the weather and by the last ice age. At best the soil and subsoil is poor, and at worst, is non-existant - I can only presume that the last ice age and its resulting glaciers stripped any top-soil that had previously covered the land leaving the glacial debris (rock sherds, pebbles and sand) behind in its wake. In many places in Achill it is possible to see this glacial debris (rocks and sand) just below the very thin growing layer. Needless to say, this debris is not very fertile. The areas not covered by this thin layer of soil - a large part of the island - is covered by bogland - in Ireland called, just simply - 'the bog'. The weather is damp and wet with plenty of rain. In the winter the cold air from Europe meets the warm air from the gulf stream - usually right over Achill it seems! - creating a lot of moisture. Thus wet 'swampy' areas are the norm in Achill encouraging moss and moisture-loving plants to grow and thrive. The bonus is that Achill is a lot milder than the East coast of Ireland, a mere 200 miles away. Over the millenia these plants die and are covered up by new moss and vegetation. This dead plant material does not decompose because of the anaerobic nature of the water-table. (Anaerobic means very little oxygen in the water and therefore little decomposition). Gradually a layer of dead plant matter builds up, becoming compacted, and forms a dark waterlogged material which is called bogland. (I presume that if it was compacted for hundreds of millenia it would turn into coal . . . but I can't wait that long!!). Updated: 9th March 2012
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