Antarctica: Soils, Weathering Processes and Environment

Abstract

1. Introduction. 2. The Geology and Geomorphology of Antarctica. Geology. Tectonic history. Significance of underlying geology to soil formation. Geomorphology. 3. The Climate of Antarctica. Climatic elements. General climatic regions. Ice-free regions. The climate of the soil. Climatic zones and soil relationships. 4. Biology of Antarctic Soils. Distribution of organisms. The influence of organisms in soil development. Biology of thermally heated ground. 5. Physical Weathering and Rock Disintegration. Physical weathering of rocks. Wind action and rock disintegration. Physical weathering within the regolith. 6. Chemical Weathering. Rock-weathering studies. Clay mineral formation. Calcite and gypsum accumulations. Influence of salts on soil weathering. 7. Soils and Soil Properties. Summary of pedological research. The soil properties. Salt horizons. Soil depth. Frozen ground. Particle-size differences within the profile. Consistence and structure. Cutans. 8. Soil Distribution and Factors Influencing the Soil Pattern. Soil forming factors. Local soil moisture variations and profile development. Parent material differences and soil distribution. The influence of time on soil development. Weathering stages in soil formation. General distribution of weathered soils. Topography and the soil pattern. Microtopography and soil pattern. 9. The Salts in Antarctic Soils. The chemistry of precipitation. Chemistry of saline lakes. Bedded salt deposits of coastal regions. Salt deposits in soils. Origin of the salts. Morphology of salts. Migration of salts. Salts and time. 10. Soil Weathering and Glacial History. Evidence of multiple glaciations. Estimate of absolute age. General outline of Mcmurdo glaciations. Soil weathering stages and glacial chronology. Reconstruction of Antarctic glaciation. 11. Classification of Antarctic Soils. Generalised approaches to Antarctic soil classification. Details classification of Antarctic soils. Alternative approaches to Antarctic soil classification. Similarities with aridic soils. 12. Soils and Environmental Considerations. Soil ecosystems. Climatic sensitivity and soil development. Soil stability and renewal. (Each chapter includes an Introduction and Conclusion). References. Index.