Why is it that stones rise in farmland soil, while houses sink or settle?
Why is it that stones rise in farmland soil, while houses sink or settle?Answer: Stones come out on top of farmland because once they’re plowed up, they can’t sink again. In undisturbed land, grass will grow and soil will form and rocks will be covered up eventually, but in farmland the ground is always fresh. Also, farmland tends to lose volume as the fine sediments wash away and as its organic content disappears under intensive farming. As the fine matter disappears, the rocks concentrate in the uppermost part of the soil. Houses sink and settle because they’re much heavier than stones, but also because the soil changes beneath them. A foundation that isn’t made carefully is sitting on disturbed ground, which tends to compact back to its normal state. Also, soil “breathes” over the years as wet and dry seasons, or warm and frozen seasons, follow each other. These slow movements called soil creep tend to push structures around, particularly if they aren’t deeply seated on ground benea
