Re: Paleosols, geosols, etc - comment by Vance Holliday
Posted by Hari Eswaran 08 Sen 1999 17:25:26
I should stay away from this discussion as I am not a Paleosoilist, never
was
and never will be. I have never understood what 'age' that Paleosol
specialists are referring to. Is it the age of the soil or the age of the
soil surface? Is their a "Quarternary or Tertiary Soil"? Many fly-by-night
soil scientists in the Mediterranean region get excited with red soils and
this is the birth place of Paleo-Pedology. In the few papers that I have read on the subject, Paleo-pedologists
conveniently ignore geomorphic processes and their role in the development
of
the soil. By doing so, they miss an important factor in soil genesis. If the
soil we see tday is a remnant of an older soil, what part of that older soil
is it? On the other hand, if it is the truncated remains of an older soil,
what processes (Including geomorphic) have contributed to its present
properties? I always have difficulties in getting paleo-soil scientists to
elaborate on these. A final point that I have had difficulties with is, what is the need to
invoke
paleo conditions to explain the properties of the these soil; conversely,
what
properties do the soils have that cannot be attributed to recent processes? We still have the task to rediscover the wheel. Hari Dr. Hari Eswaran
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
PO Box 2890
Washington DC 20013 Tel: 1-202-690 0333
Fax: 1-202-720 4593 Website: www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/WSR/
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