Ocmulgee National Monument

Awhile ago we went to the Ocmulgee National Monument, as known as the Indian Mounds. While we exploring the park and avoiding snakes, because they are super creepy animals we discovered a few things

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1. The decomposition of leaf litter has several layers before it gets to the actual dirt floor of the forest.  There is the top layer of freshly fallen leaves, or at least relatively fresh and as you move away those there are more leaves that are slightly decomposed. That continues until the leaves are so old that they have become incorporated into the soil. All together it is at least an inch thick for the actual dirt of the ground to the top layer of leaves. That is something to think about.

2. Also on our trek in the forest we found a creek bed that showed quite beautifully layers of soil. They were different colors suggesting different time periods with different events occurring that would cause changes in soil pigmentation. There were whites, red, oranges, and some pinks I believe. It reminds me of Providence Canyon also in Georgia, with the colors

3. Before we went on our trek, we were able to listen to a brief overview of the area's history from one of the Rangers. I learned that Macon is on the fall line between the Piedmont and the Coastal Plains regions of Georgia. Cities that fall on this line like Columbus, Macon, and Augusta popped up because these are places where the river stopped being navigable from the sea.

4. What I enjoyed most about the Indian Mounds was the view of the Macon skyline from the Great Temple Mound. It is quite a sight.