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Stratigraphic Approach to Alteration in Mineral Soils: The Heavy Metal Example

Dep. of Geomorphology, Univ. of Bayreuth

Reiner Mailänder

Dep. of Geography, Univ. of Bern, Hallerstraße 12, 3012 Bern, Switzerland

Wolfgang Zech

Dep. of Soil Science, Univ. of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany

*Corresponding author.

ABSTRACT

Quantifying post-depositional alteration of mineral soil material is complicated by the fact that many soils consist of layered parent materials with varying indigenous composition. Part of our study site in the Steigerwald Mountains of northern Bavaria was cultivated during the Middle Ages and later reforested. Soil erosion removed the upper materials, exposing a deposit to contamination from the surface, whereas nearby, the deposit remained protected by overlying layers. We compared heavy metal concentrations within that deposit across this boundary of varying protection. No significant results were obtained for Cd; however, the concentrations of Pb and Cu increase by about 100% or more where the protecting cover thins. The Pb and Cu values provide a measure of the gross post-depositional alteration of that deposit. We expect this procedure can help quantify various pedogenic alterations by comparison with essentially the same, unaltered parent material.

Received for publication September 22, 1997.