Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 January 2024
Quantitative estimation of mineral concentrations was made for the clay fractions of Omega loamy sand (Brown Podzolic) and Ahmeek loam (Brown Forest). These soils are relatively young and have developed from Pleistocene (late Wisconsin) outwash and till, respectively, in northern Wisconsin. A mineral weathering depth function was found, in which iliite and chlorite present at depth have weathered to vermiculite and montmorillonite nearer the surface, particularly in the clay fractions of Ahmeek loam. In the fine clay, the montmorillonite content increases from 5 percent in the C1 horizon to 44 percent in the A1 horizon. Conversely, chlorite decreases from 11 percent in the C1 to virtually none in the A1 horizon. Weathering in these soils is also reflected by distribution of minerals as a function of particle size. The occurrence of mineral-weathering depth and size functions in these young soils is attributed to accelerated leaching made possible by the coarse texture of the soils.