EVALUATION OF PG ABSORPTION STRENGTH OF HUMIC ACIDS AS A PALEOENVIRONMENTAL INDICATOR IN BURIED PALEOSOLS ON TEPHRA BEDS, JAPAN

Pg absorption strength of humic acid is the strength of a type of gree n pigment appearing in the spectral curves of humic acid, which derive s from many species of fungi. Previous studies on surface A horizons o f Andisols have shown a high positive correlation between the Pg absor ption strength and the estimated yield of Sasa, the representative for est floor vegetation of deciduous broad leaf trees. In this study on t he buried A horizons of Andisols (paleosols) in Japan, we confirmed th e same positive relationship between Pg absorption strength and the yi eld of Sasa. We evaluate Pg absorption strength of humic acid as a pal eoenvironmental indicator, which is an attribute of pedogenetic biolog ical influence preserved in buried paleosols. Copyright (C) 1996 INQUA /Elsevier Science Ltd