In 1979, Nebraska was the first state to adopt an official soil. Since then several states have designated state soils, encouraged by the Soil Conservation Service. Myakka soil was named for the city of Myakka in Manatee County in 1970. This soil is found only in Florida, where it covers more than one and a half million acres. Dirt is the stuff that stains clothing and carpets, clogs drains, and silts up water channels.
Dirt is the remains of what was once soil, or debris that never was soil to begin with.
Soil is a living thing, filled with countless millions of tiny organisms. It can take millions of years for soils to form. Scientists who study soils are called pedologists. Florida's state soil is described as sandy, siliceous, hyperthermic Aeric Haplaquods. Although Florida is widely known for its sandy beaches, its most extensive landform is the pine-saw palmetto flatwoods.