Dwarf Monkey Flower
Ok so that’s not exactly true. Most plants do need
some kind of soil in order to thrive in a given environment. At first glance
Craters of the Moon appears to be a desolate wasteland made barren by the
basalt lava fields that dominate the area. However, there are over 750
different forms of vegetation scattered though the wilderness! But how is this
possible if the surface is covered by hardened lava? Well, there are a few
different ways that Craters of the Moon gets soil that allows for plant life.
One way is that as wind blows across the surface it carries with it fragments
of soil (mostly silt) and nutrients that then fall into cracks and holes in the
lava field. Now that the soil is stationary and no longer affected by blowing
winds, it can produce plant life (from seeds also blown into the crack or hole)
that don't require much soil to survive. Another way that soil systems develop
in Craters of the Moon is from chemical weathering caused by biologic organic
acids. Organisms such as mosses and lichens form on rocks and begin to break
the rock structures down. During this process the mosses and lichens form a
biological soil crust that works to bind loose soils, help water entrapment and
dispersion, and fix atmospheric nitrogen in the developing soil. Biological
soil crust is found in every arid ecosystem in the world and is able to survive
with very little water. This is particularly useful at Craters of the Moon because of its hot and dry summers. If the movie Jurassic Park has taught us anything, it's that life will find a way.
Lichens forming on a rock
All pictures and information taken from nps.gov (National Parks Service)
