Manganese oxide accumulations associated with some soil structural pores .II. Composite coatings and translocation

Abstract

The morphology and composition of some composite coatings-containing manganese oxide coatings and impregnations-that were associated with the structural pores in a black earth (Typic Pellustert) subsoil layer were examined using light microscopy, electron microscopy, and electron micro-analytical techniques. Detailed examination of composite coatings indicates, firstly, that subsurface coatings and impregnations of manganese oxides had been formed by the burial of surface accumulations of manganese oxides with coatings of other soil components, and secondly, that fine-textured soil material had been translocated and deposited in a form which was virtually indistinguishable from that of the soil matrix.