Abstract
Field and laboratory data for two soil chronosequences from the high country of the South Island of New Zealand suggest rapid soil formation rates. The areas studied are the Ben Ohau Range and the Mt. Cook area, where mean annual precipitation is about 1 and 4 m, respectively. Most soil ages are estimated from the thicknesses of rock weathering rinds. Soil chronofunctions are derived for indices that depict field profile and color development, and a modified index of profile anisotropy for laboratory data. Out of a possible 21 chronofunctions, 16 are statistically significant (at the 0.05 level) and 8 are from each area. Most (13) of the chronofunctions best fit a power model, and the remaining ones are split between linear (2) and exponential (1) models. Although problems exist in the purity of the chronosequences because other soil-forming factors are not constant, duration of pedogenesis seems to be the most significant factor in explaining the trends. Despite the large differences in mean annual precipitation between the two areas, many of the derived curves for property vs. time are quite similar.
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