rocks again

[keh]

Concerning the posts about rocky soil, I share everyones pain. A of my old fields have rocks piled at the edges. What I have heard is that as the ground freezes it squeezes rocks to the surface. This effect would be worse in the Northern states where the soil freezes deeply.

KEH

 

[Michael Soldan]

My Dad and many old timers always said it was frost that brought rocks up to the surface, plowpoints help too!

 

[old]

Yep frost and water bring them up. Did you know that a rock is less dense then muddy ground so the rocks float. Little known fact but true. Now as for rocks you should see some of them I have here in the Missouri Ozark mountains. Some I have on my place are as big as a VW bug

 

[Cas]

rocks again. A spring topic to ponder the ages.
Fifty years ago I thought we were lucky we had
bars, chains, stone boat, and a tractor. I
wondered how they did it 100 years before that.
Then we got a backhoe and I thought we were very
lucky. Then we bought a front tined bucket for
the skid steer and I thought it could not get
better. I wonder what they will use in another
100 years.

 

[Cas]

ps to rocks again. I never weighed the truck, but
judging by the springs on the truck. We figure
we can easily due 5 to 10 ton an hour on about
2&1/2 gallons of diesel. In 10 years no breakage
to date on equipment.

 

[showcrop]

Old, despite your many times proven wealth of knowledge, I have to dispute the idea that rocks float in wet mud. Try hanging onto a rock as you are sinking in quick sand. Or as you stir up mud and rocks spinning your tires why aren't the rocks floating? My hay fields grow plenty of rocks and they grow only slightly better in the wet areas. What happens is ice forms in the ground in cold areas of the world. Water expands as it freezes so all of the ground pushes up at rates related to how much moisture is there. during the course of heaving,(that's what we call it around here)and settling, grains of sand, small stones, pieces of dirt, fall down under the rocks, so as they settle back down in the spring, they never go back down quite as far as they came up. probably less than 1/8 of an inch a year but it's a tiny bit each year that there is frost. You can picture trying to pry a big rock from the ground. Every time that you let it back down it doesn't go back quite as far as it was. you would have to beat on it with a big hammer to displace some dirt to get it to go back down to where it was.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Now you've gone and ruined it for him!

 

[Jerryinmo]

I'll bet he has more than rocks floating at his place!!!!

 

[Anonymous-0]

I want a machine that pulverizes them. Drive around and rake 'em in and rock dust is spread out the back.

 

[Anonymous-0]

The effect is called frost heave. If moisture is under the rock it will lift the rock when it freezes, somewhat. That same effect can really destroy asphalt roads or concrete basements.
Either I and my ancestors have picked all the rocks (I don't think so) or no till dosen't bring them up. Nothing pulls up rocks like a chisel plow and we don't use them much any more.

 

[RayP(MI)]

You guys ought to see what comes up in potato harvesting equipment. Here in Potato country, they"ve been harvesting and hauling rocks off for years and it shows no signs of slowing the supply. Would think the rocks would run out after a while... NOPE!

 

[Heyseed]

I know for a fact that post hole diggers bring rocks to the surface.
In Huntly VA I can dig 10 gallons of rock out of a 5 gallon hole.

 

[old]

It has been proven over and over again rocks do in fact float in mud. Ya not enough to help you if your in the mud but enough to float any how.

 

[DBAF]

they make those you know.