Paleosols, Geosols, pedostratigraphic unit

Posted by Arnt Bronger 15 Jun 1999 15:05:22

Dear Roger,
thank you indeed for your e-mail from June 06 first regarding the
remark of Vance Holliday. I made already a "Little Comment" in our
last PP-Newsletter No. 15 (Dec. 98 / Jan. 99), p. 33 from a
pedologist viewpoint; I hope you have read it. John Catt and I plan
to respond in more detail in the next INQUA-Newsletter.
Much more interesting and important in my opinion is your geosol
concept as a pedostratigraphic unit which is a challenge for our
PP-Commission. I made already some remarks and comments in our
first Newsletter 12 (this period) two years ago hoping to get in
touch with you but I had no chance. Therefore I am happy to hear
from you now; the difficulty is only that the time until Durban is
very short. My first question therefore is : could you come to
Durban ? It would be greate if you could make a presentation about
your concept of geosol as a pedostratigraphic unit ! Besides our
symposium S 10.6 we have in the afternoon of Aug. 10 a poster
session as well as a workshop, both chaired by John Catt. I will try
to contribute to this concept in the poster session and I hope E.
Bibus / TÝbingen will do also.
We in Central Europe have some difficulties - to cut a long
story short - to consider the Sangamon geosol - developed between
about 130 - 60 (- 40) ka according to several papers of Leon F. - as
one pedostratigraphic unit. In this period above the well developed
Eemian soil three distinct Mollisols (Chernozem-like soils),
separated by loess-like sediments occur; not only in western parts
of Germany but also e.g. in Dolni Vestonice / Czech Rep. and even in
the Kashmir Valley / India (see Quat. Res. 27, 167-181). But we do
not have this sequence in Hungary or Yugoslavia or the Loess Plateau
in China or in Tadjikistan. Therefore, where we should start with a
"pedostratigraphic unit" in an international context ? - It would be
great if you could come to Durban to discuss and to develop joint
ideas ! Hoping for an answer I remain.
Yours,
Arnt

Attachment: See also a summary of a paper, presented on PP Symposium in Lanzhou, China