Bog

A bog is a wetland type that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material. The term peat bog in common usage is not entirely redundant, although it would be proper to call these sphagnum bogs if the peat is composed mostly of acidophilic moss (peat moss or Sphagnum spp.). Lichens are a principal component of peat in the far north. Moisture is provided entirely by precipitation and for this reason bog waters are acidic and termed ombrotrophic (or cloud-fed) which accounts for their low plant nutrient status. Excess rainfall outflows giving bog waters a distinctive tan colour.

Linguistic distinctions

The Term bog derives from the Irish language word for "soft". The Germanic word moor had the same meaning. However, with the two words now available in English use, their meanings are slowly becoming distinct. In England, the lowland moors are now nearly all drained. They are largely forgotten except in place-names like Morton. The word moor is still applied to acid peat-land on hill-tops, where given enough precipitation, the land need not be at all flat to form a bog, even on limestone. In some cases, though by no means all, drainage has now led to the oxidation of the upland peat. Nonetheless, the upland moors still largely retain their acid peat-land characteristics where the underlying soil is acidic. This is typically on acid sands, where the moor tends towards heathland, or on plutonic rocks like the granite of Dartmoor where suitable patches have been converted into grassland for pasture.

Related Topics:
Irish language - Germanic - Precipitation - Limestone - Oxidation - Upland moors - Plutonic rocks - Granite - Dartmoor - Grassland - Pasture

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