Download Soil Regeneration with St. Francis Rhyolite

SoilRegenerationwithSt.FrancisRhyolite
soilamendmentfromdense,crystallinemagmarock
BREADFROMSTONE:SOIL,ROCK&MINERAL
Rhyolite is closely related to granite, but with finer
crystals, too small to see by naked eye. This extrusive
igneous rock cooled more rapidly than granite, giving it
smaller crystals and glassy appearance. Minerals in rhyolite
are quartz, feldspar, mica, and hornblende.
Understanding Rhyolite’s value in soil requires broader,
deeperinsightsbeyondchemistry.Howinertatomsbecome
living cells is more than protons and valence electrons.
Turningmatterintobiomatterisstillanunsolvedmystery.
First, geology is foundation for biology. Soil begins as
rock—as atoms extracted out of stone. Soil isn’t only
minerals, but its origin is atoms in rock. Elements in stone
are the starting matter to make soil. We can’t synthesize
these smallest bits of matter. They must be extracted from
ourplanet’scrystalbedrock.
Bedrockandboulderturntosoilmostlybybiology,aided
by weathering with air and water. Soil is decayed, rotted
rock—stones dissolved, disassembled, and digested by the
least of all life: archaea, bacteria, fungi, lichen, and simple
organisms. Slowly, microbes consume rocks, liberate single
atoms,wrapthemwithwaterandcarbontobuildbiological
moleculesorganizedincellcytoplasm.
Soil regeneration begins by providing complete and
balancedelements.Remineralizationwithrockdustsmimics
andacceleratesthenaturalprocesstocreatenew,fertilesoil.
ANCIENTSOILSOFTHEMIDWEST
Soils in much of south Midwest are very ancient and
highly weathered, underlain by alternating layers of
sedimentary rock: limestone, sandstone, shale. North
Midwest soils had three Ice Ages for glaciers to bring in
freshly ground rock, but south soils haven’t had a geology
event to renew their minerals in a few hundred thousand
years.Primaryelementsintheseover-worn,over-agedsoils
are used up, tied up, leached out, hauled off, low, and weak.
Fundamental elemental ratios are out of balance; keystone
elementsmissingordeficit.
In weathered, aged soils, Trace Elements are often the
mostcritical.SmallchangeinaTraceElementcanhavemore
profound effect on biology than large change in a Major
Mineral. This is because Trace
Elements are key co-factors to
shape, activate and power
enzymes,
metabolic
cycles,
hormones, and transmitters in
livingorganisms.
In 2014, I got a 44-lb. bag of
Azomite™fossilseafloorsediment
clay from central Utah, used in
farming70yearsastraceelement
soil and feed additive. I left the
bag in a barn by Columbia,
Missouri.Inthreedays,raccoons
rippedopenthebagtoeatquitea
fewpounds.
Wildanimalshaveprimalinstinctstorecognizeaneeded
nutrient—they smell it, and know to eat it. The raccoons’
appetite for Azomite™ is a loud shout warning of severe
Trace Elementdeficitsinsoils.Thisconditionisextensive,
acrossmuchofthesouthernMidwest,andsystemic,affecting
soils,microbes,insects,plants,animals—andhumans.
ANCIENTVOLCANOINSOUTHEASTMISSOURI
Southeast Missouri has one of North America’s oldest
exposuresofPrecambrianbedrock.Thisremarkablegeology
is a 1.3 billion-year-old caldera—stubborn stump of a
weathered, eroded, ancient super-volcano. The caldera’s
central vertical “pipe” brought up magma from Earth’s deep
interior—red-hot,liquidmatterfromEarth’smantle.
Thisrareplutonicgeologyis70milessouthofSt.Louis,
50mileswestoftheMississippi.Coreofthemagmapipeis
St. Francois State Park. West caldera rim is St. Francois
MountainsandMarkTwainNationalForest—wildlandwith
fewfarmsunderlainbymagmaventsandlavarock.Magma
rock is denser, harder than sedimentary rock under most of
the Midwest. The volcanic field is rugged mountain forests
blanketingthinsoilstretchedoverhard,impenetrablerock.
A volcano’s main magma channel sprouts small side
vents. St. Francois volcanic field extends south to Arkansas,
westtoKansasandOklahoma.Geologistscount360ventsin
this 350 square mile volcanic field. Some are only a few
acres.Manywerediscoveredandminedinthe1800s.Afew
yieldsmallcrystalsofcarbon:diamonds.
Thisdeep,denserockisatomspackedtightincrystalline
orderly arrays, interspersed with veins of metals. Crystals’
optic and electric properties are used in jewels, lasers, cell
phones,semiconductors,digitaldevices,advancedmaterials.
TRAPROCKMINING
This magma rock was mined since 1870 as traprock —
general term in mining industry for dark color, fine-tomedium-grain, durable aggregate rock, such as Basalt,
Diabase, Granite, Gabbro, Trachyte, or Rhyolite. Missouri
traprockiscrystalsoffeldsparandquartzinblack,darkgray,
maroon, dark brown or dark purple matrix. Individual
crystals are so small they’re only seen with a microscope.
Tiny interlocked grains give traprock hardness, durability
and resistance to scratch,
abrasion and wear. These
igneous rocks’ extra density and
hardness are valued for highwear uses, such as roadbeds,
roofing granules, paving stone,
structural concrete, railroad
ballast,andriprap.
Today, over a dozen quarries
in southeast Missouri mine
traprock—primarily Rhyolite and
Diabase—from the St. Francois
caldera and volcanic field. The
field has other igneous rock:
Basalt, Granite, Trachyte, and
Rhyodacite. This was a historic lead mining region, but
magma eruptions have veins of other heavy elements, like
tungsten, chromium, zinc, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, and
otherheavymetals.
These rocks don’t have significant amounts of plant
nutrients, thus have no value as conventional fertilizer. But
these extra-dense rocks true virtues are more subtle—less
chemistry, more about energy. Their most profound effects
oncellsisduetotheirdensity,energyandgeometry.
NUTRIENTSINRHYOLITE
Rhyolite has seven Major Elements that are key plant
nutrients—lightestelementsinthePeriodicTabletoprows:
new 21st Century paradigm is holistic, embracing a whole
system view that delivers a full menu of elements for
completenutrientsupply.
Holistic views understand elements operate as partners
in teams. Major minerals need certain trace element cofactorsinenzymesandenergyexchanges.Intheseelemental
relationships, ratio or proportion of atoms and ions is as
criticalasquantityoramount.Thus,soilremineralizedwith
rock powders and sea products has abundant, complete,
balancedsupplyofalltheelementsbiologyneeds.
GETTHEMOSTFROMTHELEAST
In cell biology, the least elements have the greatest
effects. Trace Elements are essential to biology in very
Cations(+):supplyfreeelectrons
minute amounts—parts per million, even less. Yet, tiny
Sodium
1+
2.22%
amounts have huge impacts on fundamental cell functions
Potassium
1+
5.66%
andorganismintegrity.
Calcium
2+
0.48%
Iodineisbestknown,neededatpartspermillion.Iodine
Magnesium
2+
0.19%
deficiencyismedicallyproventocausegoiter—malfunction
Anions(-):hold&transportelectrons
ofthethyroid,anendocrineglandthatsecreteshormonesto
Phosphorus
3–
0.02%
regulate growth and immunity. A pregnant mother with
Sulfur
2–
-
Iodine deficiency has high risk to birth a child with
Chlorine
1–
-
incomplete neurological development, impaired brain
Rhyolitefromdensemagmawasn’t
function and permanent mental
exposed to air, thus isn’t weathered,
disability. These medical facts are so
oxidized, or hydrated. Nor is it
well-known, most nations require
chlorinated, nitrated, or other reaction.
Iodine added to commercial salt to
Elements in Rhyolite are more raw,
reducedeficiencyrisks.
unreacted, single atoms, with valence
Cobalt illustrates this extraelectronsfreetoreactwithotheratoms.
ordinary power of the least. Cobalt’s
In sedimentary rock, elements are
only use in humans is the metal coalready reacted in secondary minerals
factor in vitamin B12. Without B12, red
that are compounds of two or more
blood cell synthesis weakens; red cells
elements. Elemental Sodium is highly
are enlarged and deformed. Without
reactive, even explosive, but combined
B12, nerve cell energy exchange
withChlorine,becomesstabletablesalt.
weakens, so the second deficiency
Atomsinmineralcompoundsandclays
symptomisnumbnerves.WithnoB12,
are less tightly packed, and form rock
DNA-to-RNA replication is impeded;
that’slessdense
protein synthesis slows. Without B12,
GEOL OGYINTO BIOLO GY Fresh, unreacted elements are a
pineal and pituitary hormones are
unique energy in biomolecules and
disturbed;metabolismlosessynchrony.
Magnesiummetalion
processes. Raw elements prime many
Without a microgram of Cobalt,
metabolic pathways. Simple elemental enclosedinCarbon&Nitrogenrings youaredead.
nutrients are easy for cells to absorb
The last century, science identified
and use. Microbes eat atoms out of rock to build other Trace Elements that are essential to biology at parts
biomoleculesandcytoplasm.
per million: Iron, Silicon, Boron, Copper, Zinc, Manganese,
When these dense rocks are fractured and contact the Molybdenum,Chromium,Selenium,Germanium,Vanadium,a
air,someelementsinthemreactwithCO2toformCarbonate fewmore.Rhyolitehassmall,significantTraces:Iron:2.37%;
(CO3=). Thus, they Fix Carbon to remove CO2 from air and Chromium: 0.03%; Manganese: 0.03%; Titanium: 0.21%;
store Carbon in stable soil, rock and biology. In cells, Rubidium: 250 ppm; Niobium: 8 ppm; Antimony: 2.8 ppm;
Carbonates bufferpH to resist change in the electric charge Zinc:<.01ppm;Selenium:<.01ppm.
offluids.GreaterelectricstabilitycreatedbyCarbonatescan
However,newinsightsinbiologysuggestweneedmore
enhancemetabolismandboostbiologicalgrowth.
elements than are yet discovered—the densest elements in
thelowestrowsofthePeriodicTable
FULLSPECTRUMFERTILITY
valence
%inRhyolite
Chlorophyll
Rhyolite’s value in soil isn’t abundant Major Minerals.
RhyolitedeliversabroaddiversityofTraceElements.Rather
than one, or two, or a few elements, Rhyolite has a wide
assortmentofnearlyalltheelementsneededbybiology.
20th Century soil fertility and plant nutrition focused on
chemistry,andsingleelementsolutions.Fertilizersdelivered
one,two,maybethree,elementsassyntheticchemicals.The
RAREEARTHELEMENTS
Periodic Table’s lowest rows are the heaviest elements,
with the most protons and mass, including Platinum, Gold,
Transition Metals, and Rare Earth Elements. Cells seem to
need them at parts per billion, even parts per trillion—
millionth of a millionth—barely detectable by science.
Magma rock such as Rhyolite has extra amounts of these
heaviest,butleastofallelements.
Thesemassiveatomshavelargeelectroncloudsspinning
inorbitals,with8to12toasmanyas20valenceelectronsto
bondwithotheratoms.Theserareelementsacquireunusual
energystates,dependingonhowelectronorbitsarecharged,
paired, stacked, organized, and synchronized into cascades
that achieve unusual high-energy states to power complex
reactions, with exotic properties, like high-frequency
radiation, quantum coherence, super-conductivity, even
negativegravity.Theirbiologicalusesarealmostunknown.
Theseheaviestelementsusecomplexgeometriestoform
bonds to other atoms. They have symmetries to build
unusual shapes into special biomolecules and cell
structures—enzyme, hormone, transmitter, activator. The
most exotic have five-sided, phi-ratio geometries to match
DNA,RNAandcellmembranearchitectures.
Elements and molecules with greater complexity can
carry more information. Living organisms use complexity
and higher geometry to hold information and share
intelligenceforhigh-levelfunctions.Threekeyfunctionsare:
DNA & reproduction, membranes & immunity, neuron
function&brainstructure.
DENSITY
In biological science, density isn’t a nutrient, yet is a
qualitycellsneed.Insideacellmembrane,atoms,molecules
and enzymes must pack in tight, dense, orderly geometries.
Greater density means tighter packing geometry and higher
energy efficiency. Density delivers orderly coherence cells
needtoholdshape,maintainpatternandpreserveintegrity.
Cells are biological crystals—bio-microprocessors in
cellular circuits, with internal symmetry, connections and
organization.Similarly,seedsaredenselystackedcrystalsof
carbohydrate, amino acid and minerals to nurse an embryo.
Insideacellmembrane,ions,biomoleculesandenzymesare
dancingintightlyordered,liquidcrystalorchestration.
Foroptimumfunction,acellmustbecompact,witheach
part in precise, coherent order with other parts and the
whole.Heavierelementsarecentersofmassinenzymeand
cell structures to seed and sustain these orderly arrays of
atomsandmolecules.
Molecules—especially protein, enzyme, hormone, or
biopolymer—musthavespecificshapetofitintoandfunction
insideacell.Outsideacell,theabilitytorecognizeshapeisa
key to immunity—to discriminate between cell and not-cell,
andchoosewhattoletin.
Densityhelpscellsandorganismssustainshape,internal
order and function, and survive stress. In drought with
scarce water, densely ordered cells maintain moisture and
energy flow. In a freeze, tight molecular geometry resists
water’s expanding force to sustain cells’ essential shape and
membraneintegrity.
PARAMAGNETISM
In biology, magnetism is largely a mystery. Yet, physics
tell us light is electromagnetic radiation—energy waves
oscillating between electric and magnetic states. Electricity
isvisibleasaluminousspark,butmagnetismisinvisible.It’s
thedarksideoflight.
Science shows us Earth spins in a magnetic bubble—a
donut ring of geomagnetic flux. But science doesn’t yet
realize every living cell is a magnetic bubble. Nor does
science realize a plant is a magnetic antenna—root & shoot
aresouth&northpolesofabiomagneticfield.
Iron filings arrange themselves to align with and reveal
aninvisiblemagneticfield.Magnetismisaforcefieldtounify
and align isolated atoms and molecules in orderly patterns
and coherent whole. Magnetism is the shape for a cell or
organism.Biomagneticfieldsorganizesingle,separateatoms
in unitary, synchronous systems of a living cell. Magnetism
asacontainerforlifeoffersintegrity,identityandunity.
Asvividexample,redbloodcellsareflatdiskswithtwo
hollow faces—signature shape of the magnetic field of Iron.
Almost all the Iron in our body concentrates in red blood
cells, yet biology and medicine don’t recognize a magnetic
functionforIroninblood.
VitaminB12stimulatesredbloodcellcreation.ItsTrace
Element co-factor is Cobalt, one of three natural magnetic
elements.B12deficiencycausesredcellstoswellandenlarge,
instead of a flat disk. Cobalt’s magnetic geometry helps red
cellstoholdpropershape.
Carbonisn’tmagnetic;massistootinytoholdmagnetic
charge.Butinamagneticfield,Carbonis“diamagnetic,”with
oppositepolarity.DiamagnetismenhancesCarbon’scapacity
to create structure by attracting atoms to link together in
chains(hydrocarbon&aminoacid)andrings(sugar).
Magnetism is important to shape cells and power
biology,yetscienceislargelyblindtobiomagneticfieldsand
their functions. How magnetism in soil affects plants and
microbes isn’t explored by botany, biology or soil science.
“Paramagnetic fertilizer” is an unknown idea for nearly all
farmersandsoilscientists.
HeavyelementsinPeriodicTablelowerrowsandcenter
columns exhibit more magnetic potential. But as ions, with
unpairedelectronsinouterorbits,mostmetalsaremagnetic.
Magma rock—with its density, trace elements, valence
electrons, and mono-atomic states—boosts magnetic charge
insoiltoimprovecellintegrityandfunction.
In sharp contrast, most south Midwest soils are formed
fromsedimentaryrockwithlowparamagneticcharge.Such
soilswillquicklybenefitfromthedenseparamagneticcharge
andtraceelementsinRhyolite.
~David Yarrow,December2015
St.FrancisRhyolite
SoilApplicationInstructions
December2015
ApplicationRate
Standard(finesand)
1toncovers2acres
Premium(finepowder)
1toncovers4acres
1000poundsperacre
250poundsperacre
2½poundsper100squarefeet
2cupsper10squarefeet
1¼poundper100squarefeet
1cupper10squarefeet
1T/a=5#/100sf=.459lbs./sq.ft.
Guidelines
DonotapplyRhyolitealone.Rockdustmineralsdon’tdissolveinwater.Rather,nutrientsarereleased
fromtherockmineralmatrixbydigestiveactionbymicrobes,mostlybacteria,fungiandlichen.
Bestwaytoapplyiswithsometypeofmicrobeinoculant,especiallywithbacteriaandfungi.Preferred
istoblendwithcompost(orcompostedmanure)toassurerapidcolonizationbymicrobes.
Applywithatypeofbiocarbon.Firstpreferredisbiochar.Secondchoiceisbioactive,healthycompost.
Thirdchoiceishumus.Fourthisanimalmanure.
Primaryeffectsareonplantroots,sothesemineralsmustbedeliveredtosoilrootzone.Initialtillage
maybenecessary.Targetapplicationsforimmediatecontactwithseeds&seedlingroots.
Instructions
GardenSoil
Blend1quartRhyolitepowderinto1gallonbiocharfines
1quart+1gallon=1:4ratio=20%
Rockdustparticleswillcoatbiochargrains
Inoculatebiocharwithmicrobes:blendwith(chooseone)—
2gallonsactivecompost,or
2gallonscompostedmanure,or
1gallonbiomass+1quartfreshmanure,or
2gallonsbiomass+commercialinoculant
Option1:Inoculatebiochar-Rhyolitemixwithmycorrhizalfungispores
Blendintimatelyformaximumparticle-to-particlecontact
Option2:DissolveSEA-90seamineralsinwater;spraylightlytomoisten
Sprinklethinlyon20squarefeetofsoil
Coverthinlywithsprinkledsoil,ortillintotop4inches
Waterwithfinespray,then6-inchloosestrawmulch
PottingSoilmix
3TablespoonRhyolite
1Tablespoonseaminerals
1cupbiocharfines,1/8-inchscreen
1quartcompost,screened
1quartpeatmoss,screened
2quartsweed-freesoil,screened
1teaspoonmycorrhizalspores
SeedStartermix
1cupbiocharpowder
1TablespoonRhyolite
1teaspoonkelppowder
1teaspoonseamineralpowder
1teaspoonhumicacid
¼teaspoonmycorrhizalspores
TERRA:TheEarthRestoration&RegenerationAlliance
573-818-4148
Compost
5%ofrawbiomass
AnimalFeed
1-2%ofdailyfeed
blendwithbiocharfines
forbestresults,use1%SEA-90sea
minerals
[email protected]
www.dyarrow.org