Abstract
PurposeSpatial and temporal patterns of past erosional events are a useful and needed information to explain observed soil patterns in different landscapes. Soil thickness reflects the overall expression of pedogenesis and erosion. Forested soils of Northern Germany exhibit varying soil thicknesses with thin soils on crest positions and buried soils at the footslope. The aim of this study is to reconstruct the complex soil mass redistribution and soil patterns of this forested area due to different periods of erosion and stability.MethodsWe explored the explanatory power of both 10Be (in situ and meteoric) on a hillslope and we 14C-dated buried horizons at different depths.ResultsThe 10Be depth profiles did not show an exponential decrease with depth. They had a ‘bulge’ shape indicating clay translocation and interaction with oxyhydroxydes (meteoric 10Be), bioturbation and soil mass redistribution (in situ 10Be). The combined application of both 10Be and 14C dating revealed progressive and regressive phases of soil evolution. Although Melzower Forest is protected (same vegetation) since the past 250 years, both 10Be clearly indicated major soil mass redistribution along the investigated catena.ConclusionA strong erosion impulse must have occurred between 4.5 and 6.8 kyr BP indicating an earlier human impact on soil erosion than previously postulated (~ 3 kyr earlier). Our findings correlate in fact with the first settlements reported for this region (~ 6.8 kyr BP) and show their immediate effect on soils. The overall soil redistribution rates in this forest are surprisingly similar to those obtained from a nearby agricultural area.
Highlights
Soils are a dynamic system and are the product of environmental and historical factors (Jenny 1984; Birkeland et al 2003)
Soil thickness and horizonation at a given time-point in its evolution reflect the overall expression of pedogenesis and soil erosion
We explored the explanatory power of both 10Be forms in forested soils along a catena in the hummocky ground moraine landscape of northeastern Germany
Summary
Soils are a dynamic system and are the product of environmental and historical factors (Jenny 1984; Birkeland et al 2003). Soil and landscape heterogeneity is mainly caused by variations of parent material, topography, biota and occurrences of apparently random events (e.g. tree uprooting; Minasny et al 2015; Šamonil et al 2017). Differences in soil properties cause variations in hydraulic properties, which influence patterns of surface runoff and subsurface flow and, together with the variation in soil properties, lead to spatially varying rates of mass redistribution across the landscape Humans use soil preferentially based on their assumed and experienced suitability for various purposes (such as pasture, arable land, etc.). This leads to patterns of varied land use and, as a consequence, the formation of heterogeneous landscapes (Minasny et al 2015)
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