Waterlogged conditions in the Gokstad mound led to iron phosphate migration and preferential deposition of vivianite in turf layers where relict litter (L) layers remained visible, and where wood chips from constructional activities are also very well preserved (as is the long ship itself).
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.
The 10th C robber trench had developed muddy features, and rooting traces show that it was not backfilled, but was slowly infilled by humic soil silting from turf mound layers.
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".
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.
Layers of turf could also be added to stabilise the motte as it was built up, or a core of stones placed as the heart of the structure to provide strength.
Turf, in horticulture, the surface layer of soil with its matted, dense vegetation, usually grasses grown for ornamental or recreational use.
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).
