Landform‐Soil‐Vegetation‐Water Chemistry Relationships, Wrigley Area, N.W.T.: II. Chemical, Physical, and Mineralogical Determinations and Relationships

Abstract

AbstractThe relationship among five landforms in terms of chemical, physical, mineralogical, and water chemistry of lakes and the through flowing streams is presented. The landforms occur as a catenary sequence (toposequence) in the intermittent permafrost region of the Mackenzie Valley, N.W.T., Canada. The five landforms are identified as an alpine meadow, an area of stone stripe and stone ring formation, a colluvial slope, an area of coalescing fans and an area of polygonal bog formation. Information collected on the chemical quality of a stream flowing through the area included pH, O2, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Cl, F and NO3. Chemical, physical, and mineralogical analyses of the soils occurring on these landforms illustrated the effect of climate on soil genesis. Cryoturbic action is the dominant process occurring in the stone stripe area while ice segregation is predominant in the area of polygonal bog formation. The limited decomposition of the soil organic matter is related to the harsh climate. Subdued pedogenic development of soils in the coalescing fan area is evident by their youthful profile differentiation. Water chemistry demonstrated the functional and integrated effect between dissolved load in the water and the landform through which the stream has flown.