Fossil and recent soil formation in Late Pleistocene sand deposits in the eastern part of the Netherlands.

Abstract

Along the Slinge Brook near Winterswijk, a profile was investigated which is assumed to consist of two aeolian deposits: Old Coversand I at the bottom and Old Coversand II at the top, between which a fluvioglacial deposit occurs, the Beuningen Complex. The profile, which now is well-drained, was poorly drained from the beginning of the Holocene up to some centuries ago. The following soil forming processes were recognized micromorphologically: decarbonation, biological activity, clay illuviation, decomposition of illuviated clay and one or two cycles of gleying. It was concluded that: (1) during the deposition of the Beuningen Complex a hydromorphic cycle may have occurred in this profile; (2) between the beginning of the Bolling interstadial and the rise of the watertable at the beginning of the Holocene, biological activity and clay illuviation occurred and possibly some decarbonation; (3) between the beginning of the Holocene and recent times a hydromorphic cycle (possibly the second) took place; (4) finally in recent times biological activity and decarbonation occur. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)