QUANTITATIVE PEDOLOGICAL STUDIES ON SOILS DERIVED FROM SILURIAN MUDSTONES

Abstract

Summary The uniformity of the parent material between and within five soil profiles representing a typical catenary sequence in upland mid‐Wales was investigated using as criteria of uniformity the constancy of the ratios Zr: Sr and quartz: illite in the silt fractions. No lithologic breaks could be detected in the soil profiles. ZrO 2 , TiO 2 , quartz, and tri‐acid residue were assessed for use as internal standards. TiO 2 appeared to be mobile during pedogenesis. Of the other three standards tri‐acid residue was considered to be most suitable.