Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Soil profiles--Wyoming--Dubois Region; Slopes (Physical geography)--Wyoming--Dubois Region; Calcareous soils--Wyoming--Dubois Region; Calcareous soils; Slopes (Physical geography); Soil profiles; Wyoming--Dubois Region;
Abstract
Most workers agree that soil properties vary with geomorphic position along a hillslope. This variability in soils is termed a catena. In this study, soils developed along Pinedale (20 ka BP) and Bull Lake age (140 ka BP) moraine catenas at Whiskey Basin, Wyoming are compared with soils developed along moraine catenas previously described at Willow Lake, Wyoming. Whiskey Basin is located on the northeastern slope of the Wind River Range. Willow Lake is located on the western slope of the Wind River Range. Age primarily dictates the degree of soil development at both areas. Soils developed on Pinedale catenas have less total clay than soils developed on Bull Lake catenas. Soils at Whiskey Basin are Aridisols. Pinedale soils here exhibit A-Bkw-Ck horizons, and Bull Lake soils exhibit A/Ak-Bkw-Bkt-Ck horizons. Soils at Willow Lake are Mollisols. Pinedale profiles here consist of A-Bw-C horizons, and Bull Lake profiles consist of A-Bt-C horizons. Soil development varies with catena position at Whiskey Basin and Willow Lake. Pinedale soils at both areas often are best developed downslope (footslope, toeslope). Bull Lake soils at Willow Lake also are best developed downslope, while Bull Lake soils at Whiskey Basin are well developed at downslope and upslope positions. Differences among soils at Whiskey Basin and Willow Lake occur because of carbonate content. Parent material for soils at Willow Lake contain no primary carbonates, whereas parent material for soils at Whiskey Basin contain abundant primary carbonates. One manifestation of this is depth to maximum clay content. Maximum clay content is shallower in Bull Lake soils at Whiskey Basin than Bull Lake soils at Willow Lake. This occurs most likely because of clay flocculation in horizons with high carbonate content, and the blockage by carbonates of pore spaces through which clays would normally translocate. Shallow argillic horizons in Bull Lake soils at Whiskey Basin also support previous suggestions of soil erosion during the Pinedale glacial advance. A positive relationship exists between maximum carbonate and clay contents in illuvial horizons of Whiskey Basin Pinedale and Bull Lake soils indicating that clays tend to increase as carbonates increase in these soils.
Year of Submission
1997
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of Geography
First Advisor
Dennis Dahms
Second Advisor
David May
Third Advisor
James Walters
Date Original
1997
Object Description
1 PDF file (147 leaves)
Copyright
©1997 Michael Todd Applegarth
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Applegarth, Michael Todd, "Soil Catenas of Calcareous Tills, Whiskey Basin, Wyoming" (1997). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 1965.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/1965
Comments
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