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Genesis of a Podzol Sequence on the West Coast of Vancouver Island

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Genesis of a Podzol Sequence on the West Coast of Vancouver Island GENESIS OF A PODZOL SEQUENCE ON THE WEST COAST OF VANCOUVER ISLAND by SEEWANT BHOOJEDHUR B.S.A., The University of British Columbia, 1968 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE in the Department of SOIL SCIENCE We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard. THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA September 1969 ii ABSTRACT A study was undertaken on the pedogenesis of a Podzol sequence of soils on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. The area is one of abundant rainfall and rather luxuriant vegetation. The soils occur on relatively level topography (glacial fluvial deposits) and have varying degrees of development of placic (pan) horizons. The objectives of the study included characterization, classification and genesis of the soils, based on physical, chemical and mineralogical investigations. Four soils were chosen for the study. Three of the soils comprisedfhe Ucluelet soil series, while one soil was a member of the Wreck Bay soil series. The soils were described morphologically, sampled and selected analyses were performed on the major genetic horizons. More detailed analyses, including differential thermal analyses, were conducted on the placic materials. The soils were classified into the Canadian Classification Scheme as as follows: Ucluelet I Placic Ferro-Humic Podzol Ucluelet II Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol Ucluelet III Placic Humo-Ferric Podzol Wreck Bay Gleyed Placic Ferro-Humic Podzol Analyses of the placic materials indicated, that although the material appeared vitreous in the field, no crystallinity could be deterntined by X-ray diffraction. It appeared that the major component of the placic horizon is composed of iron and organic matter, probably in some intimate association. It was observed that the placic horizon could form in materials of initially low iron contents. iii From the foregoing observations the following chronosequence of soil development appears to be justified: Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol > Placic Humo-Ferric Podzol (Ucluelet II) (Ucluelet III) > Placic Ferro-Humic Podzol •> Gleyed Placic Ferro- (Ucluelet I) Humic Podzol (Wreck Bay) The differences in pedogenic age of the three Ucluelet sites can be attributed to degrees of "churning" by the trees at these sites. iv In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission may be granted by the Head of the Department or by his representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department of ( cP The University of British Columbia, Vancouver 168, B.C, Canada. Date 3vA /9i? V ACKNOWliBGMENTS The study was made possible by a scholarship awarded by the Canadian International Development Agency. Particular acknowledgment is offered to Dr. L.M. Lavkulich, Assistant Professor, Department of Soil Science for suggesting the nature of the research, for assistance, encouragement and supervision during its progress. The author wishes to express his gratitude to the members of the Ctommittee and the members and staff of the Department of Soil Science. Thanks are extended to members of the Soil Survey Division, Canada Department of Agriculture, Vancouver. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION LITERATURE REVIEW 1 MATERIALS AND METHODS 22 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 38 CHARACTERIZATION OF PLACIC MATERIAL 77 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 84 REFERENCES 88 vii TABLES TABLE PAGE I Profile Description of Site I 30 II Profile Description of Site II 31 III Profile Description of Site III 32 IV Profile Description of Site IV 33 V Selected Physical Properties of the Ucluelet and Wreck Bay Series 40 VI Selected Soil Water Parameters 43 VII Selected Chemical Data 51 VIII (a) Selected Extractable Constituents 54 VIII (b) Selected Extractable Constituents 55 IX Cation Exchange Properties 61 X pH-Dependent Cation Exchange and Lime Potential 63 XI Elemental Analysis on the <2 mm soil 65 XII Elemental Analysis on the <2 u Clay Fraction 66 XIII Mineral Distribution in the Ucluelet I Soil 70 XIV Mineral Distribution in the Ucluelet II Soil 71 XV Mineral Distribution in the Ucluelet III Soil 72 XVI Mineral Distribution in the Wreck Bay soil 73 XVII Selected Chemical Comparisons of the Composition of the Pan to the Soil Matrix 80 viii FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1 Vegetation and Soil at the Ucluelet Site 23 2 Vegetation and Soil at the Wreck Bay Site 24 3 Water Retention Curves for Ucluelet I 45 4 Water Retention Curves for Ucluelet II 46 5 Water Retention Curves for Ucluelet III 47 6 Water Retention Curves for Wreck Bay 48 7 Total Water Storage Capacity for the Ucluelet (Sites I-III) and Wreck Bay (Site IV) 49 8 Photographs of Placic Material at a Ucluelet Site 79 9 Differential Thermal Curves of (1) Ucluelet Pan and (2) Wreck Bay Pan 82 i INTRODUCTION Research in pedology facilitates an understanding of soil properties and therefore is important in developing sound land use practices. Many pedological studies of Podzol soils have been made, particularly in coastal regions of Eastern and Western Canada, and some of these have had iron pans present. On the. west coast of Vancouver Island, there are extensive areas of Podzol soils that have not been studied in any detail. These Soils are heavily forested and some have iron pans present which are known to affect land use and plant growth. This study is concerned with several of these soils. The soils studied occur on the Ucluelet lowland and the objectives of the work were: 1. To determine selected physical, chemical and mineralogical properties of four soils. 2. To classify the soils in the Canadian System of Soil Classification. 3. To correlate the above results with develop• ment of these soils. U. Attempt to relate the soil properties to plant growth. LITERATURE REVIEW The modern concept of soil as a natural body was not recognized until 1879 when Dokuchaev became the first to appreciate the complexity of natural agencies responsible for the processes of soil formation, and when Sibertsev integrated these natural agencies and established their differential role in soil formation. Prior to Dokuchaev, credit must be given to pioneer soil scientists like Berzelius, Liebig, Thaer, Davy and Schubler for their views on soil as a medium for plant growth; to the geologists, Sprengel, Hausman, Gotta, Werner and others who though recognizing some of the soil forming agencies, failed to recognize the harmony of these factors in building up the soil; and finally, to Fallou (1855) who stressed his point of view that soil is a formation by itself and is not simply unconsolidated rock. Podzol as a kind of soil Podzol soils are prevalent under cool and humid conditions with an annual rainfall varying from 50 to 75 cm and a mean annual temperature of about 4°C. Podzols cover the largest habitable area of the earth's surface (Joffe, 1949); extending from the sub-arctic region through the temperate zone, to a few degrees north of the Mediterranean region in Europe, to about the 50° parallel north latitude in Asia and North America. They are generally freely-drained, acid, sandy soils with strongly differentiated profiles. They do not seem to develop in soils that are saturated with water throughout the year. The natural vegetation may be heath, woodland or coniferous forest. Podzols are not confined to cool temperate regions, but, are also found in the tropics at high elevations, where climatic conditions tend to become similar to temperate regions. - 2 - The name 'podzol' originated from the Russian word 'Zola" which means ash. Long before the true nature of podzols was characterized, the bleached layer just below the surface of the soil was observed and reported. Sprengel in 1837 gave a description of what is now known as a podzol. Scandinavian and German foresters of that time also noted and described podzols-, but it was Dokuchaev who revealed the genetic relationships of the soil horizons in the profile and introduced the term 'podzol' based on his experiences and comprehensive field and laboratory investigation of virgin and cultivated soils of Russia. Extracts from the cartography of Russian soils (Dokuchaev, 1879), show that the term 'podzol' was confined to the ashy grey layer without any reference to what was below. These soils were found in areas with abundant rainfall and an abundance of both forests and bogs. In the second soil classification of Dokuchaev in 1900 (Soil Survey Staff 1960) podzols were classified under normal soils. It was Sibertsev (1900) who separated the podzols as a special type, equivalent to the U.S.A., 1949 Great Group and sub-types, the latter being:- "(1) Soddy soils, weakly affected by podzol forming processes, (2) Podzolic soils proper, with a podzolic horizon clearly separated and sharply distinct from the upper horizon (3) Podzols or soils strongly "podzolized" While the Russians related their observations to the effects of climate, vegetation and parent material, the Germans diverted most - 3 - of their attention to a special formation, the ortstein. Consequently knowledge from the two schools was not synchronized and thus the Western world could not characterize the group. With time, knowledge spread and workers in North America, Britain, and France started to intensify their contributions. Marbut (Soil Survey Staff, 1960) classified the podzols under the order of Pedalfers. During the 1930's, the outlook towards soils changed drastically as soil scientists started to look deeper into the chemical, physical, mineralogical and micromorphological properties of soils. These scientists integrated laboratory data with field observations to differentiate among groups of soils; and, thus in 1938 Baldwin et al. (Soil Survey Staff, 1960) suggested the following Great Soil Groups which comprised the podzols: Podzol soils Gray wooded or gray podzolic soils Brown podzolic soils Gray brown podzolic soils Red yellow podzolic soils.
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