Abstract
PurposeThe aims: (1) to investigate the role of the in situ weathering of bedrock in providing substrate for soil formation; (2) to evaluate the aeolian contribution to the mountainous soils in the vicinity of thick loess cover; and (3) to determine the influence of aeolian silt on further soil development.Materials and methodsThe sampled sites were arranged along the slope toposequence, where an aeolian/silt admixture possibly occurred. Each soil catena started at the top of a hill and ended at its foot. Such an arrangement of the soil profiles ensured the tracking of loess thickness variations and detection of the depth of the residuum-derived materials. One reference soil profile, consisting of aeolian silt deposits, was made. The following soil properties were determined: pH, organic carbon content, soil texture, exchangeable acidity, exchangeable ions and geochemistry. In addition, thin sections were prepared from rock samples to confirm the type of bedrock present.Results and discussionThe soils in the studied area were classified as Cambisols, Luvisols and Stagnosols, characterised by silt loam texture and a high content of elements indicating an aeolian silt contribution—Hf (7.4 to 14.8 ppm) and Zr (274.4 to 549.0 ppm). These values differ strongly from the residues typical of weathered quartzite, greywacke or catalasite substrates, which generally have low concentrations of Hf and Zr (0.7 to 7.0 ppm and 26.0 to 263 ppm, respectively). Based on the morphological, textural and geochemical data of the studied soils, three layers were distinguished, which show different inputs of aeolian silt: (1) an aeolian silt mantle; (2) a mixed zone in which loess was incorporated into the local material; and (3) a basal zone, free of the influence of aeolian silt. Based on the obtained results, a hypothetical pathway for soil formation in mountainous areas, influenced by aeolian silt admixing, was proposed.ConclusionsOur study demonstrates that the soils developed in the Opawskie Mountains are characterised by an aeolian silt influence. This differentiates them from weakly developed soils, which comprise materials formed during in situ weathering only. Materials originating from bedrock weathering did not play an independent role as the parent material for the studied pedons. Aeolian silt was admixed with already existing autochthonous substrates, or completely replaced them. This influence on the soil formation resulted in the occurrence of Luvisols, Stagnosols and Cambisols. Such soils cannot be formed from the weathering of quartzites and greywackes, which contribute to a less structure-forming medium.
Highlights
Parent material directly influences soil-forming processes (Jenny 1941; Dokuchaev 1967; Mason et al 2016; RodrigoComino et al 2018) because, via weathering, it slowly disintegrates, delivering a coarse or finer grained substrate for further alteration processes
The soils in the studied area were classified as Cambisols, Luvisols and Stagnosols, characterised by silt loam texture and a high content of elements indicating an aeolian silt contribution—Hf (7.4 to 14.8 ppm) and Zr (274.4 to 549.0 ppm)
Our study demonstrates that the soils developed in the Opawskie Mountains are characterised by an aeolian silt influence
Summary
Parent material directly influences soil-forming processes (Jenny 1941; Dokuchaev 1967; Mason et al 2016; RodrigoComino et al 2018) because, via weathering, it slowly disintegrates, delivering a coarse or finer grained substrate for further alteration processes. The weathering of bedrock has long been considered to be the only, and most crucial, source of material for soil formation in mountainous environments (Romashkevich 1979; Wang et al 1997; Hahm et al 2014; Lin and Feng 2015; Kroyan 2017; Mazurek et al 2018). An aeolian silt contribution to a soil may occur during pedogenesis; it can enhance or weaken the soil-forming processes, or provide the initial parent material for soil formation. The areas where aeolian silt has contributed to soil formation are widely distributed, the distinction of aeolian-derived materials is still problematic, and the process of pedogenesis supported by loess addition is not fully understood and has not been adequately described
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