Abstract
The focus of this investigation is to establish whether organic materials are present in subsurface soils in measurable and significant quantities. Two subsurface soils from the Champlain Sea region were chosen for study. Organic carbon concentrations of 0.5% as total organic carbon (TOC) were detected in the soils studied at depths up to 14.2 m. The extraction and subsequent analyses of organic compounds permitted one to classify these as humic acids, fulvic acids, humins, and nonhumic materials. Extraction of these subsurface soil organics was achieved using a modified HCl–NaOH extraction method. The extracted organics were analyzed for TOC to confirm their organic nature as well as for study of their surface chemistry. The compositional and structural characteristics of the extracts were investigated using infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Key words: subsurface soil organics, humic materials, nonhumic organics, organics extraction, Champlain Sea clays.
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