Clay Translocation and Albic Tongue Formation in Two Glossoboralfs of West‐Central Wisconsin

Abstract

Soil columns from two Typic Glossoboralfs were dissected to separate albic tongues and argillic B horizon material. Tongues and B horizon material have similar coarse/fine (50‐20µ/20‐2µ) silt ratios in the upper B horizon indicating that tongues could have been formed in place by eluviation of clay from certain zones of the B horizon.Lower in the B horizon the tongues consistently have different coarse/fine silt ratios than does adjacent B horizon material. Mineralogical analysis of silts gave no indication of differential weathering of quartz, alkali feldspars, or mica which together make up 85 to 90% of the fine silt (20‐2µ). The particle‐size distribution of silts in the lower albic tongues is taken to indicate that translocation of silts and sands has been involved in the formation of these tongues.Higher proportions of quartz, feldspars and mica in the coarse clay (2‐.2µ) of upper albic tongues indicate that montmorillonite, vermiculite, pedogenic chlorite and kaolinite have been preferentially removed. This, and the mineralogical similarity of fine clay (<0.2µ) between eluvial and illuvial zones, indicate that clay translocation in these soils is accomplished primarily by movement of clay particles in suspension without appreciable dissolution of crystal structures.Spodic horizons have begun to form in the albic horizons of some Glossoboralfs of the study area and Spodosols are common in coarser parent materials. Processes of illuviation inferred from this investigation, however are greatly different from those generally considered typical of Spodosols.

New insights into the origin and evolution of glossic features in coarse‐textured soils in northern lower Michigan (USA)

“…Completely degraded (Group V) peds represent the final stage of degradation of the illuvial zone (Table 1; Figure 4). The presence of isolated flakes of clay on the surfaces of skeletal grains in these peds, occasionally observed under the microscope, indicate that this zone had once been an argillic horizon, as suggested by others (Bullock et al., 1974; Ranney & Beatty, 1969). In essence, Group V peds represent the endpoint to which the illuvial zone is expected to degrade.…”

“…In coarse‐textured parent materials, especially under non‐base‐cycling forest vegetation, the acid‐neutralizing capacity of the upper solum declines (Cline, 1949; Schaetzl, 1996). Under increasingly acidic conditions, translocation of clay (Bullock et al., 1974; Ranney & Beatty, 1969; Schaetzl, 1996) and fine silt is eventually initiated in the upper profile. Any “free” Fe cations, in various mineralogical forms, derived from the weathering of primary minerals and/or released as a result of litter decay, are complexed by clay minerals, particularly those in the fine clay fraction, which have higher CEC values (Duchaufour & Souchier, 1978).…”

“…Most glossic Alfisols (excluding those with aquic conditions) classify as Haplic Glossudalfs or Oxyaquic Glossudalfs, whereas most Spodosols with glossic features classify as Alfic Haplorthods or Alfic Oxyaquic Haplorthods. Many of these soils, particularly in the northern Great Lakes region, exhibit bisequal morphologies (Aide & Aide, 2020; Bockheim, 2003; Harpstead & Rust, 1964; Hole, 1975; Ranney & Beatty, 1969; Schaetzl, 1996; Weisenborn & Schaetzl, 2005). Thus, they differ from typical Alfisols and Spodosols in that they usually have spodic morphology (e.g., E–Bs, E–Bh, or E–Bhs sequa) in their upper profile, whereas their lower sequum generally resembles Alfisols (e.g., E/B–Bt).…”

“…In none of these studies was glossic horizon genesis the focus of detailed empirical investigation. Only two prior studies have specifically examined glossic horizon genesis in soils of the Great Lakes region, both of which date to the mid‐20th century and were conducted on fine‐loamy parent materials (Bullock et al., 1974; Ranney & Beatty, 1969). Thus, glossic horizon genesis in soils of the Great Lakes region, particularly those on coarse‐loamy parent materials, remains largely unevaluated in terms of recent genetic models developed for similar soil types occurring in other (nonregional) glaciated locales (e.g., Jamagne et al.…”

Iron oxides as weathering indicator and the origin of Luvisols from the Vistula glaciation region in Poland

“…The Luvisols is formed during the Kujawy-Dobrzyń subphase of the Vistula glaciation demonstrating a morphological profile variation, which could be due to the processes of lithogenesis and pedogenesis. The soil formation processes in the Luvisol profiles result in the differentiation of the chemical and mineralogical composition of soil material (Ranney and Beatty 1969).…”