Dirt samples - Where from ?

1941 - 1945, MB, GPW Technical questions and discussions, regarding anything related to the WWII jeep.
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Kings
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Dirt samples - Where from ?

Post by Kings » Sat Jan 20, 2018 5:01 am

Hello all,
Now here's a question !!!
I kept some bags of dirt/sand/soil/earth (call it what you like) from the various cavities on my Ex USMC 1944 MB when I restored it 15 ish yrs ago. I placed them in a bag with a mind to one day send them somewhere to have them identified as to where they came from. Anyway, recently I found them again so I'd like to see where the old jeep went. I was the first owner in the UK, before that the San Diego swap meet, before that ?????
Being an Marine jeep it could be 'just' USA dirt or something more interesting ???
I've googled all manner of wordings to see if this is possible, any ideas please ?

Thanks
Kings


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Re: Dirt samples - Where from ?

Post by Wolfman » Sat Jan 20, 2018 5:42 am

Sounds like you need to find a college program for archeologist.
Those folks are always out digging holes. Looking for ancient things and analyzing what they dig up.
Just tell them you have a WWII jeep and you are trying to track where it has been from your samples.
You may hit a nerve and spark some interest.
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Chuck Lutz
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Re: Dirt samples - Where from ?

Post by Chuck Lutz » Sat Jan 20, 2018 5:55 am

How about the nearest college with an Agricultural Department? The analyze soil samples I believe.
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Wolfman
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Re: Dirt samples - Where from ?

Post by Wolfman » Sat Jan 20, 2018 6:02 am

All farmers worry about, is how acidic or alkaline the soil is, and how high the nutrient level is, Chuck.
They couldn't care less about where it came from. As long as it grows what they plant.
For farmers, it is all about money.
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dpcd67
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Re: Dirt samples - Where from ?

Post by dpcd67 » Sat Jan 20, 2018 7:26 am

Your jeep hauled sh*t in Louisiana, if it is representative of 99% of the jeeps in the US. We didn't bring many back.
Now, to answer your question, I had to take a course in Agronomy at WVU; the professor hated when we called it "dirt". It is soil. Yes, any agronomy department can tell you the type of soil it is. But not necessarily where it came from as there are common soil types world wide. Soil is made up from a mixture of things; clay, loam, sand, silt, peat, chalk. A soil from the midwest will look like loam from Ukraine, but will have been formed from different types of grasses etc. A chemical analysis might pick up those, might not, but you will have to pay for that.
Now, hopefully your soil is made up of high amounts of peat and chalk, and that will tell you it was in England. Good luck.
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dpcd67
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Re: Dirt samples - Where from ?

Post by dpcd67 » Sat Jan 20, 2018 7:28 am

Wait, I just noticed you are already in England. Forget what I said.
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Re: Dirt samples - Where from ?

Post by Joe Gopan » Sat Jan 20, 2018 7:43 am

A geologist would be a good start.
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Mark Jesic
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Re: Dirt samples - Where from ?

Post by Mark Jesic » Sat Jan 20, 2018 10:38 am

Kings that IS keen. :D

Kings
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Re: Dirt samples - Where from ?

Post by Kings » Sat Jan 20, 2018 1:46 pm

Hello, some great help there thanks. Laughed at the post about being in the UK. The jeep was with the USMC and I'd love to know what the old girl did and if it went out of the US. It's been said many times about many things .... If only it could talk !!
Thanks

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dpcd67
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Re: Dirt samples - Where from ?

Post by dpcd67 » Sat Jan 20, 2018 2:03 pm

Geologists study rocks; agronomists study soils. Soil is made up of more than ground up rocks.
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Lew Ladwig
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Re: Dirt samples - Where from ?

Post by Lew Ladwig » Sat Jan 20, 2018 6:54 pm

I am a geotechnical engineer. You could have the standard properties figured out but that will give very limited info. Only if a rare mineral shows up could you have a tiny chance of getting a region. The mineral makeup of soils around the globe is very similar. Any detail work would require a mass spectrometer and that means spending more on that than the value of your jeep.
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Chuck Lutz
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Re: Dirt samples - Where from ?

Post by Chuck Lutz » Sun Jan 21, 2018 10:20 am

Anyway, maybe a local college professor might think sorting out where that "soil" was from might be a good class project. However, if the jeep had been sold off and power washed by a PO, then the only soil on it would be where he had been with the jeep, not the Marines. No way to tell if the soil is WWII or post-war soil!
Chuck Lutz

GPW 17963 4/24/42 Chester, PA. USA 20113473 (USA est./Tom W.)
Bantam T3-C 1947

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Re: Dirt samples - Where from ?

Post by Joe Gopan » Sun Jan 21, 2018 1:36 pm

Be prepared to part with some bucks. Geologists, Soils Research Scientists, etc., have a lot invested in that sheepskin.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
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Re: Dirt samples - Where from ?

Post by Wolfman » Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:38 am

How do you know a good farmer when you see one ???


He is out standing in his field !


Devil made me do it !! :mrgreen:
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Bruce W
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Re: Dirt samples - Where from ?

Post by Bruce W » Mon Jan 22, 2018 9:50 am

Sounds to me like somebody's been watching too much CSI............ :lol: BW
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