The pedogenesis of desert loam soils in the Barrier Range, western New South Wales. Ii. Weathering and soil formation

Abstract

Micromorphological, clay mineralogical and chemical data are used to demonstrate the complex, polygenetic nature of soils developed in a mixture of aeolian deposits and in-situ weathered material. At least three separate layers can be recognized in the soils, though some pedological reorganization of these has occurred. The lowest layer consists of weathered rock, aeolian deposits, gypsum and calcium carbonate, and may be, in part, the truncated remnant of an older soil. The middle layer is predominantly composed of aeolian clayey pellets and silts. The upper layer is a slope-wash deposit. The majority of soluble salts, carbonates and sulfates in the soils appear to have been transported into the soils by wind. Pedogenetic processes after the last phase of aeolian deposition have been restricted to the redistribution of some of the more soluble salts and iron oxides, and the modification of soil structure and fabric.