In the past fortnight, English Heritage archaeologists have peeled back the thin layer of turf covering the site, which has somehow escaped being ploughed for more than 4,000 years.
First, a thin layer of turf, over a 10-inch layer of topsoil, over a two-inch binding layer, over a six-inch drainage layer, over a final layer labeled "subsoil formation".
The waste-to-energy effort lies at the intersection of two heavy industries, energy production and waste disposal, both of which are hampered by a thick layer of bureaucracy, turf battles among local, state and federal governments and demands for bribes by middlemen.
These charcoal kilns consisted of a carefully stacked wood pile which was covered by a gas-tight layer of soil, turf and moss (Klein 1836; von Berg 1860).
Charcoal kilns consist of a carefully stacked wood pile which is covered by a gas-tight layer of soil, turf and moss (Cancrinus 1767; Klein 1836; von Berg 1860; Armstrong 1978; Bonhôte et al. 2002).
In the areas of Scandinavian settlement in the Islands and along the coast a lack of timber meant that native materials had to be adopted for house building, often combining layers of stone with turf.
The plan, for which construction will begin this fall, will replace soul-sapping asphalt with bird-friendly turf, put layers of plants around the skeletal infrastructure of the elevated subway lines, and tie those planted areas into landscaped areas with cisterns to collect storm water.
A "green roof," comprising interlocking layers of mesh and other materials, turf and a variety of plants, will serve as a play area for the younger students and a science laboratory where plant and insect life can be seen first hand.
"It was a matter of turf.
Questions of turf are involved.
