A study of the effect of the nature of the parent material on the development of the soil profile with special reference to an area in north-east scotland

219 Pages·034.763 MB·English

by  FitzPatrick, Ewart Adsil

a m m
m m , j u m i M A B ..
SOIL PR0FIL5 WITH SOCIAL .IMBWffl. TO AH
AREA IM KORTU-SAST 3OPTLAND.
THESIS
for tho Dogroo of Dootor of Pbllooophjr
proaontod by
EWART ADSII FITZPATRICK.
Abordoen. April, 1991.
UMI Number: U242256
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SUMMARY.
1. An arta in the north-east of Scotland (lower West Glen
Mulek) was surveyed with the purpose of determining the effect
on soil profile development of the parent material which waa
known to ho mainly glacial deposits o ansi sting of basic and
aoid igneous and motamorphio rooks*
2* The ohemioal and physioal oharaoteristios revealed that the
parent material oould be divided into ton different typos*
3* The soils are of a vary ooarse texture and consequently
very low in clay content.
4* Whore soils have developed from solid underlying rook the
profiles are very shallow*
5* Whore development of soils has taken plaoe in the various
deposits the aotual depth of the profile is a function of the
structural properties of the parent material*
6* In nearly every ease soils developed in ground moraine were
found to have a horison of minimum day oontent with a
characteristic mioro-pore structure*
7* Compacted horisons hare caused wide-spread gleying* The
gleys show a very low degree of base saturation and low surface
pH. It is suggested that the mode of formation of these gleys
is fundamentally different from that of most others.
8* The surface horisons are the only ones whioh have large
amounts of exchangeable eations.
11.
9. Where the parent material le more baelo Brown Forest eolle
hare been formed.
10. where the parent material le aeld or tending to be aeld the
final eoil type wae found to be dependent upon the regetation -
Brown podeole under heather and nor or humus podaole with iron
pan under 3eote pine.
11. Hnaue podeole were found dereloped under pine foreet and
Iron podeole under Oalluna-donlnant vegetation. Zt le
euggeeted that humue podeole with Iron pan formation may be ueed
me an indication of pre-existing pine foreet.
12. In the ground moraine and lateral moraine a the olay aeema
to hare been derlred from serpentine. Using ratios of magnesium
to other olay fraotlon constituents, light la thrown on the
weathering of ultra-baslo rook (serpentine) in the soil.
13. Trends here been established for exchangeable aluminium.
14. Exchangeable manganese was found In rery large amounts
In the surface horisons.
19. The organic natter content end surface rcgetatlon is shown
to be dependent upon the parent material and hydrologio
conditions of the soil.
16. In addition the following are giveni-
Subjeotlre frequency estimates of the rcgetatlon.
Geological map.
Parent material map.
Photographs of the area and regetatlon.
Soil map.
Profile morphology and analytical data.
00NTBNT3.
Chapter* Pag*:
Summary • • • • « • • • • • • • «•# • • • l.
I. Introduction • • • • • • • • • • • • ft* l
II. Geomorphology and Geology ... • • • • • • • • • 5
III. Vegetation • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 13
IV. Climate • • • ••• ••• • • # • • • • • • 23
V. Drainage • • • • • • • • • • # • • a • • • • 25
VI. Parent Material ••• ••t • a • • • • • it 27
Chemical and Mineralogies! characteristics 27
Physical characteristics ............ 34
VII. Soil Classification and Distribution ... 36
VIII. Soil Developed from serpentine ... ... 38
IX. Soils Developed from Hornblende sohist • 41
Meohanloal Analysis ... ... • • • 43
Exchangeable cations, Aoldlty, Percentage
Saturation and pH .......... ... 45
Carbon, Nitrogen and C/N ratio • ... 45
Amorphous Ferric Oxide ... 46
Clay Analysis ... • • • • • • 47
X. Soils Developed in Glacier Terraces, Block
scree and Colluvlum ... ......... 49
XI. Soils Developed in Ground Moraine and
Druallns ... ... ... ..• ... 51
Soils of the Brown Podsolio sub-sons . 51
Meohanloal Analysis ... ... ... 58
Exchangeable cations, aoldlty, perosntage
saturation and pH .............. 62
Chapter: Pag#:
Carbon, Nitrogen and C/ft ratio • ... ... 70
Amorphous Forrlo oxldo ... ... ... 71
Clay analysis ... ... ... ... ... 72
Soils of the Mor Podaol sub-zone ... ... 75
Meohanloal Analysis ... ... ... ... 77
Exchangeable oatlons, aoldlty, percentage
saturation and pU ... ... ... ... 78
Carbon, Nitrogen and C/ft ratio • 79
Anorphous Ferric oxide ... ... ... ... 80
Clay analysis ••• ... ... ... 82
XII. Soils Developed in Lateral Moraines ... ... 84
Meohanloal Analysis ... ... ... ... 88
. ■ < f »■ 4 ; 5 v
Exchangeable oatlons, aoldlty, peroentago
saturation and pH ... ... ... ... 89
Carbon, Nitrogen and C/ft ratio •• ... ... 91
Amorphous Ferric oxide ... 92
XIII. Soils Developed in Alluvium . ... ... ... 93
Meohanloal Analysis ... ... ... ... 93
Exchangeable oatlons, aoldlty, percentage
saturation and pH ... ....... . ... 95
Carbon, Nitrogen and G/N ratio........... 96
Aaorphous Ferric oxide ... 96
Clay analysie ... ... ... ... ... 98
XIV. Conolusions ... ... ... ... ... ... 99
Acknowledgments ... ... 107
References ... ... ... ... ... ... 108
Chaptar: Pa^e:
Appendix I - Analytical Methods ... ... 113
Appendix XI - Photographs of Topography ... 118
Appendix IIX - Geological Map ... ... 120
Parent Material Map ........... 121
Appendix XV - Vegetation photographs ••• 122
Vegetation Map 124
Vegetation Frequency
estimation ................ 123
Appendix V - Soil Map ................ 129
Appendix VI - Profile Moxphology and
analytical data ........ 130
X.
INTRODUCTION.
Dokuciiaev (9) writes that: "The soil is the result of
the combined aotivity and reciprocal influence of parent
material, plant and animal organisms, olimata, age of land and
topography." These he oalled soil formers.
Sinoe the recognition and acceptance of the faot that soil
is formed by the interaction of these five faotors, or
independent variables, eaoh has been studied In man/ parts of
the world under varying combinations of the other four, throwing
great light on methods of soil formation.
These factors have been divided for simplicity into
aotlve and passive groups, placing parent material in the latter
category•
*The passive oharaoter of the parent material," according
to Joffe (11), "may be inferred from the faot that various
parent materials (the conditions for the activities of the other
factors of soil formation being similar) give rise to the same
type of soil."
Neustruev (44), however, states thati-
"Parent materials are far from being blank sheets of paper on
whloh climate may write anythin*; it desires." This was
discovered much earlier by Glinka (17), who pointed out that
some soils show subdued climatic effect due to the composition
of the parent material. Such soils he called endodynamomorphic
in contrast to eotodynamomorphic* He oonaidered them temporary
phases In the formation of ollmatlo groups*
These soils of which the parent material has had a marked
Influence on profile development are classified by Vllenekil (74),
and In the American (1) system of olaesifloatlon as intrasonal
soils In contrast to sonal soils which arc dependent upon zonal
ollmatlo conditions* There are, however, some types of parent
material representing an intermediate phase and offering
considerable difficulty In soil syatematles* Suoh parent
materials vary widely, but prominently among them are those
very rich in bases*
Nlkoforoff (45) in a recent paper views the situation In
an entirely new and different light. He first of all reviews
the current theories of pedogenesis thus*
Soil formation is a continuous, endless and universal
process, taking place in definite phases throughout time, in
each phase one of the remaining four faotors playing the major
role. These phases are not clear out, do not have a definite
duration or a similar order In every ease. Instead, they are
conditioned by the specific combination at any one locality.
In each phase the influence of the factor increases in intensity,
reaches a maximum, and then dies away, giving place to the
influence of one or other of the remaining factors* He considers
the theories of autogenic evolution untenable because of
weaknesses Inherent in suoh methods based on empirical
assumptions. Hs prefers to consider soil formation as oyclla.
Pedogenio cycles occurring for heat, water, organic matter,
carbon,phosphorus, etc.
By careful analysis, therefore, it ought to be possible
either (a) to evaluate at any one time the phase playing the
dominant role and to give an aooount of the effect it has
caused, and is causing on the profile, also, to give an account
of how the remaining faotors are over-riding the effect of this
particular faotor, or (b) to trace precisely the path of each
pedogenio cycle. Shis is impossible without the application
of theoretloal physios, chemistry and mathematics. Research
along suoh lines has not yet been conducted due to the
lnsoffiolenoy of enough general data, although Jenny (29) has
made a step towards mathematical expression of the faotors of
soil formation.
At this point an accurate definition of parent material
is necessary. That of Jenny (29)t "The parent material is
the initial state of the soil (referred to some arbitrary
standard)" appears the best suited to the parent material
concept prevailing among soil investigators and the work here
undertaken is based on the above definition.
Many of the soils of North Sast Sootland are developed
from parent material with strongly add properties and have
been found to have podsollo characteristics conforming to the
climatic sonal soil olassiflcation. There are, however, some