Element geochemical characteristics of a soil profile developed on dolostone in central Guizhou, southern China: implications for parent materials

Abstract

This study presents bulk chemical compositions of the Tongmuling soil profile, which developed on dolostone, and the overlying strata covering the bedrock in the central Guizhou province (southern China). The chemical weathering characteristics of the studied profile were investigated and the inheritance relationships between the terra rossa and overlying strata were discussed. The results show that there is no remarkable variation in the major elements and weathering indices from the rock–soil interface to the topsoil, indicating that the studied profile was not typical for in situ crustal chemical weathering. The terra rossa were mainly composed of SiO2, Al2O3 and Fe2O3. Compared with the insoluble residues and overlying strata, the terra rossa are characterized by an enrichment of Y and Cs and depletion of Ba and Sr. The subsoil shows a notable Ce negative anomaly, characterized by heavy rare earth element enrichment (L/H = 1.55–3.74), whereas the topsoil shows a positive Ce anomaly with light rare earth element enrichment (L/H = 5.93–9.14). According to Laterite-forming capacity estimates, the terra rossa could not have only been formed from acid-insoluble residues from the bedrock; Al2O3 versus Fe2O3 and Nb plotted against Ta show significant positive correlations between the terra rossa and overlying strata. The Eu/Eu* versus GdN/YbN and ternary diagrams for Sc, Th, Zr, and Ta suggest that the overlying strata could also provide parent materials for the genesis of terra rossa.