Doctoral Dissertation Research in Geography and Regional Science

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Stones often are found along relatively horizontal planes within soils, appearing as lines in soil cuts, thereby leading to their designation as stone lines. The morphology of stone lines long has been explained in terms of accumulation of mass-wasted or wind-blown deposits over previously settled materials, but recent studies have indicated that stone may be realigned within the same soils through the actions of small mammals and insects. This doctoral dissertation project will test the hypothesis that both the stone line within the Sangamon soil layer in central Illinois and the overlying layer of coarser material are the products of sorting activities by mound- building animals. Stone lines from a sample of sites among drumlins in McDonough County will be examined through analyses of the location and orientation of stones and through biofabric analysis of the materials, which will provide information on the environmental conditions under which the soils evolved. This project will provide a well-structured test of competing hypotheses regarding soil morphology, shedding light on the conditions at the study site and for a broader range of locales. This project also will provide an excellent opportunity for a promising young scholar to continue to develop independent research skills.