Rates of peat formation in relation to degree of humification and local environment, as shown by studies of a raised bog in Deninark

Abstract

In the raised bog Draved Mose, rates of peat formation and degrees of humification were determined in two peat sections. Based on 59 calibrated C‐14 dates, accumulation rates during the last 6500 years of 0.16 to 0.80 mm/year were found. The peat layers were analyscd for Sphagnum species, rhizopods, and pollen and spores. A clear relation between humification degrees and humidity at the time of formation was found, while the relation between measured growth rates and degrees of humification varied throughout the 2.5 m thick peat section. These variations are thought to be mostly a result of autocompaction.