EARLY STAGES OF PODZOLISATION IN YOUNG AEOLIAN SEDIMENTS, WESTERN JUTLAND

Soil formation in young aeolian sediments covered with pine and spruce was studied in an afforestation area in western Jutland. Because of a dvancing accumulation of mor, pH(H2O), values in the upper mineral lay ers have decreased from 5 to less than 4 within 30 years after plantin g. At the same time, the beginning of podzolisation is indicated by th e development of an eluvial horizon, which increases in thickness by 1 cm per decade. After 80-100 years, the mor layer and the eluvial hori zon are both about 10 cm thick, whereas visual identification of the i lluvial horizon is still difficult at this stage. Moderate C and Al tr anslocation result in narrow C-py/C-org and Al-py/Al-di ratios of the subsoils. Fe is less involved in the translocation process. (C) 1998 E lsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.