Lithological Discontinuity in Glossic Planosols (Albeluvisols) of Lower Silesia (SW Poland)
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DE DE GRUYTER 180 OPEN EL¯BIETA MUSZTYFAGA, CEZARY KABA£A SOIL SCIENCE ANNUAL DOI: 10.1515/ssa-2015-0035 Vol. 66 No. 4/2015: 180–190 EL¯BIETA MUSZTYFAGA*, CEZARY KABA£A Wroc³aw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Institute of Soil Sciences and Environmental Protection Grunwaldzka 53 St., 50-375 Wroc³aw, Poland Lithological discontinuity in Glossic Planosols (Albeluvisols) of Lower Silesia (SW Poland) Abstract: The paper focuses on Glossic Planosols (formerly Albeluvisols) with sandy topsoil widely represented in the north- eastern part of Lower Silesia (SW Poland), in the range of tills from the Odra and Warta glaciations (Riss glaciation). The aim of the study was to characterize the texture of these soils in the context of the origin of parent materials and present-day pedogenic processes. Both the sedimentological and granulometric indexes, unbalances clay (and silt) fraction, and ventifact pavement at the contact of underlying loam and topsoil sandy layer confirm, that the textural differentiation of the topsoil and subsoil horizons has not resulted from the pedogenic processes, but primarily from the lithological discontinuity of glacial and post-glacial parent materials. Particle-size distribution and granulometric indexes of albeluvic tongues in the glossic horizon also confirm that the tongues has not been formed by eluviation of the fine fractions from the loamy material, but primarily by filling the initial thin crack with the sandy material. The coarser-textured tongues foster a deep infiltration and stagnation of water, and the development of reductic conditions allows further widening and deepening of the albeluvic tongues. Keywords: Glossic Planosols, Albeluvisols, textural differentiation, lithological discontinuity INTRODUCTION “loam sandification (spiaszczenie gliny)” that preceded the concept of clay illuviation (“lessivage”), Soil texture is a fundamental parameter determining but involved differentiation not only in clay but also soil properties and land use. An analysis of the particle- in silt fractions (Konecka-Betley 1961, Sza³ata and size distribution can provide a lot of information about Komisarek 2014). genesis, litho- and pedogenetic processes, as well as Despite expected abundance, derived from geolo- taxonomic position of soil (Dobrzañski et al. 1977, gical and soil-agricultural maps (Kaba³a (ed.) 2015), Kowalkowski and Borzyszkowski 1977, Konecka- lithological discontinuity in soils was rarely described Betley 1979, Mycielska-Dowgia³³o 1980). Texture in the lowland part of Lower Silesia, excluding analysis is crucial in case of heterogeneous profiles stratification of alluvial soils (£abaz et al. 2014). of soils developed from stratified glacial deposits Meanwhile, it seems that in many soils classified (Zagórski 2001). Frequently, the textural differentiation previously as Albeluvisols (in Polish: gleby p³owe is often associated with lithological and facial changes zaciekowe spiaszczone), the large and abrupt vertical of glacial deposits, as well as may develop under textural differentiation results from primary lithological periglacial conditions (GoŸdzik 1973, Manikowska stratification rather than from eluviation of fine fractions 1997, Zagórski 1995, 1996). Recently, the lithological (Kaba³a (ed.) 2015). discontinuity within soil profile has been increasingly The aim of the work was (1) to characterize the recognized in various typological units, particularly nature and origin of textural differentiation in profiles in the lowland clay-illuvial soils (Kühn 2003, Œwito- of clay-illuvial soils of north-eastern Lower Silesia niak 2008, van Ranst et al. 2011), as well as in the and (2) to indicate the consequences of lithological mountain Podzols (Waroszewski et al. 2013a, b) and discontinuity for soil naming and classification. Cambisols (Kacprzak and Derkowski 2007). Some researchers avoid to recognize the lithological discon- MATERIAL AND METHODS tinuity between eluvial and illuvial horizons of Luvi- sols and related soils, as they have insufficient argu- The study focused on clay-illuvial soils (gleby ments to distinguish primary lithological features from p³owe) displayed in the Polish soil-agricultural map illuvial features. Pure pedological explanation of te- as having significant textural diversity, e.g. sand xtural differentiation was the base for the concept of texture in topsoil and loam in shallow subsoil, in the * MSc. E. Musztyfaga, [email protected] http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/ssa (Read content) Lithological discontinuity in Glossic Planosols (Albeluvisols) of Lower Silesia (SW Poland) 181 north-eastern part of Lower Silesia. More than 20 were collected separately from the albeluvic tongues profiles were described and finally four representative (abbrev. „tongues”) and from angular aggregates ones are selected for this paper, as located in: the between tongues („aggregates”, abbrev. „aggreg.”), Oleœnicka Plain – profile 1 – Mi³oszyce and profile 2 as well as bulk, mixed samples were collected from – Bielawa, the Twardogórskie Hills – profile 3 – Gra- the whole horizon volume. bowno, and the ¯migrodzka Basin – profile 4 – Pru- Particle-size distribution of the fine earths (<2 mm) sice (Fig. 1). The profiles Mi³oszyce and Bielawa are was conducted using sand separation on sieves and located in a range of the Odra glaciation (the older the hydrometer method for silt and clay fractions, after Middle-Polish (Riss) glaciation, 300–230 ka), while sample dispersion with hexametaphosphate-bicarbonate, the profiles Prusice and Grabowno are in the range according to the standard PN-R-04032. The names of the Warta glaciation (the younger Middle-Polish of texture classes were given according to classification (Riss) glaciation, 210–130 ka). During the Vistulian of Polish Society of Soil Science (Polskie Towarzy- (the North-Polish (Würm) glaciation, 115–7.3 ka) se- stwo Gleboznawcze 2009) and the USDA classification vere periglacial conditions occurred in the area of (Schoeneberger et al. 2012), with an indication of do- Lower Silesia, which fostered the transport of sandy minant sand sub-fraction (Table 1 and 2). and silty materials, and enabled the accumulation of Based on the distribution of sand and silt fractions cover sands (Kondracki 2001, Manikowska 1997) and and subfractions, a set of granulometric indices proposed loess (Chlebowski and Linder 1991) of varying by Kowalkowski and Prusinkiewicz (1963) was thickness. Soils were described and classified according calculated, as well as other indices suggested by the to Polish Soil Classification (PSC 2011) and FAO-WRB WRB to be diagnostic for lithological discontinuity classification (IUSS Working Group WRB 2015). (IUSS Working Group WRB 2015). These include In each of the distinguished soil horizons and sub- the following ratios (Table 4): fine sand to medium horizons, soil samples were collected for laboratory sand (A), fine sand + very fine sand to medium sand analysis. In all soil profiles under investigation, the (B), fine sand to coarse sand (C), fine sand + coarse E/B horizons with albeluvic tongues were present, silt to coarse + medium sand (D), medium + fine + typically for Albeluvisols (IUSS Working Group very fine sand to coarse sand (E), very fine sand to WRB 2006), in PSC (2011) called “gleby p³owe medium sand (F), and very fine sand to fine sand (G). zaciekowe”. Thus, in the E/B and B/E horizons, samples For the comprehensive characteristics, the sedimen- FIGURE 1. Location of soil profiles within study area. Profile designations: 1 – Mi³oszyce, 2 – Bielawa, 3 – Grabowno, and 4 – Prusice TABLE 1. Particle-size distribution of the soils under study 182 ProfileParticle-size( Soil D e p t h m m) distribution( % ) Texture class h o r i z o( cn m ) >2 .2 01. .0– 001. –0.5 .000–2.0.055.1.0––2 5005 .–. 1000 0. .5 .0 0 02 2 0–< 600–.. 000P.00T0620UG 2S D A P r o f i l e 1 –Ap0–2623 11 233212 6 9 1 3 pgLFS M i ³ o s z y cAp226–355 e 3 10 22 32 11 6 12 1 3 pgLFS (arable soil) E 35–5223 10 213215 5 6 4 4 pgLFS 2 E/B5t2g– 8 0 1 1 3 1 0 2 7 1 5 1 1 8 3 2 2 g p i SCL t o n g u e s1 1 3 2 0 4 7 1 1 2 5 0 1 1 p g LFS 2 B ttgo/nEg u es0 0 2 2 9 5 6 6 3 1 1 2 p l FS 8 0 – 1 0 01 1 2 1 1 3 1 1 1 8 1 0 1 2 5 g p i SCL 1 0 0 – 1 31 0 1 2 9 3 8 1 7 7 6 1 1 9 g p FSL P r o f i l e 2 –Ap0–3811 7 2744 7 3 6 2 3 psFS EL¯BIET B i e l a w a E38–5031 8 3042 9 1 4 2 3 psFS (arable soil) 2 E/B5t0g– 8 0 1 1 4 1 2 2 8 1 4 6 7 4 2 4 g p i SCL A a g g r e g . 1 0 1 5 3 2 1 3 7 8 3 3 1 g p i SCL MUSZTYF t o n g u e s1 1 6 1 7 3 3 1 7 4 4 2 1 6 g p FSL 2 B t g 8 0 – 9 0 2 1 5 1 1 2 4 1 4 5 1 0 2 2 8 g p i SCL 1 0 0 – 1 02 5 1 8 1 3 2 2 9 1 1 8 2 2 6 g p i SCL 1 2 0 – 1 22 5 1 5 1 1 2 6 1 0 1 1 8 3 2 5 g p i SCL AGA, CEZAR 1 4 0 – 1 41 5 1 5 1 0 2 7 1 0 1 0 9 3 2 5 g p i SCL P r o f i l e 3 – A 0 – 6 5 4 8 2 1 3 4 1 7 9 3 2 2 p g LFS G r a b o w n o 6 – 1 2 6 4 1 0 2 5 3 6 9 7 3 2 4 p g LFS (forestsoil) Y E 1 2 – 2 4 6 5 9 2 3 3 8 7 5 8 1 4 p g LFS KABA£A 2 4 – 4 0 8 4 9 2 3 3 9 9 3 9 1 3 p g LFS 2 E/B4t0g– 6 2 2 1 5 1 3 3 2 1 3 9 9 3 1 5 g l FSL t o n g u e s4 2 5 1 5 4 0 1 8 6 2 2 1 0 p g LFS 2 B tagg/gEre g.