Abstract

Dampier, L., Sanborn, P., Smith, S., Bond, J. and Clague, J. J. 2011. Genesis of upland soils, Lewes Plateau, central Yukon. Part 2: Soils formed in weathered granitic bedrock. Can. J. Soil Sci. 91: 579–594. Polygenetic soils have formed on weathered granitic bedrock at high elevation (>1200 m asl) beyond the penultimate glacial limit on the Lewes Plateau in central Yukon Territory. Solum thickness in four Brunisols that were examined exceeds the depths of excavated pits (85–110 cm), but data indicate limited chemical weathering. Clay mineralogy is dominated by vermiculite and kaolinite. Smectite and chlorite are present in horizons derived, respectively, from residuum and colluvium. Sola are strongly cryoturbated, in spite of the lack of permafrost at these sites today. Three scenarios are proposed to explain these soils: preservation of relict soil features beneath cold-based ice, prolonged interglacial soil formation following erosion of till deposited by warm-based ice, and ice-free conditions throughout the Quaternary, with soil evolution shaped by multiple glacial-interglacial cycles.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.