PODZOLIC SOIL DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOUTHERN JAMES BAY LOWLANDS, ONTARIO

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Abstract
Nine soil profiles from a 52-km-long transect orthogonal to the coast of Southern James Bay range in age from 1000 to 3000 yr. The depth of carbonate leaching, mass of vermiculite clay formation, profile organic matter and amorphous material (Fe, Al and Si) accumulation were determined. Rates of these pedogenetic processes were calculated, and compared to rates in a cooler, drier area on the Hudson Bay Coast. The rates are about twice as rapid in the southern James Bay area as in the Hudson Bay Coastal zone. These differences in rates are explained on the basis of mean annual temperature and precipitation. Key words: Vermiculite, carbonate leaching, rates of pedogenesis