Solved cryptogram

The reason people farm beside volcanoes is that the ash breaks down into remarkable soil.

Earth Science Facts, sourced to U.S. Geological Survey.

Or go to the puzzle’s own page first.

What it means

Volcanic ash is fresh rock, finely divided, loaded with the phosphorus, potassium and trace elements plants need, and it weathers fast because the particles are small. Within a few human generations it makes ground far richer than the surrounding countryside. So the settlements around Vesuvius, Merapi and the Rift Valley are not carelessness; they are a bargain, taking a reliable harvest against a rare catastrophe.

The claim comes from U.S. Geological Survey.

Nearby in the collection

The facts either side of this one.

  • NPSmedium, 73 letters
  • USGSmedium, 71 letters
  • USGShard, 75 letters
  • USGShard, 72 letters

About as hard as this one

Scored closest to it by the model behind our guide to solving cryptograms.

  • RSCmedium, 72 letters
  • NOAAmedium, 74 letters
  • UCARmedium, 76 letters
  • NPSmedium, 72 letters

Every Earth Science Facts cryptogram · All fact collections

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