Soil exhibit unveiled at Smithsonian

Aug 25, 2008 8:56 AM

Soils from all 50 states are included in a historic new exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington , D.C. The exhibition, entitled "Dig It! The Secrets of Soil," opened July 19, and will remain on display in the Nation's Capital through Jan. 3, 2010. Thereafter, it will travel to 10 museums nationwide until 2013.

The exhibition will likely awe visitors with seemingly improbable facts on this underfoot resource. The abundance of life in soil is one such example. It turns out there are more living creatures in a shovel-full of soil than there are human beings on the planet; so many organisms contribute to the health of soil that scientists have not even named them all. Yet, the exhibition tells us, more is known about the dark side of the moon than about soil. 

The exhibition aims to improve soil literacy with a 5,000-square-foot exhibition that reveals the complex soil ecosystem and how it supports nearly every form of life on Earth. The exhibition includes interactive displays, hands-on models, videos and soil samples from all fifty states and US territories.

Budding detectives are likely to enjoy the crime scene investigation video focusing on the processes of decay, while a computer kiosk allows visitors to learn about their state soil.

More information about "Dig It! The Secrets of Soil" is available at http://forces.si.edu/soils. Information about the "Dig It! tour can be found at http://www.sites.si.edu .

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