NATURE OF THE ORGANIC MATTER IN TERTIARY PALEOSOLS IN THE CANADIAN ARCTIC

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Abstract
The Oh horizon of a Gleysolic paleosol from the Canadian Arctic (45,000,000 years old) was characterized by chemical, spectroscopic, and mass spectrometric methods. The Oh horizon material was highly aliphatic, containing C23–C34n-alkanes, C15–C37n-fatty acids, 10-nonacosanol, C27–C29 sterols, C44–C44n-alkyl monoesters, and C60–C87n-alkyl diesters, all constituents of coniferous epicuticular waxes. Humic acids (HAs) were extracted from the Oh horizon of a Gleysolic paleosol, the Ahg horizon of an Organic paleosol, and the Bf2 horizon of a Podzolic paleosol from the same area. Depth of horizon seemed to affect the chemical constitution of HAs. HAs isolated from lower horizons contained more carbon and were more aromatic than were HAs from the upper horizon. Thus, there seemed to be increases in condensation and in aromatization of the HA carbon with depth. These chemical changes could have been brought about by relatively mild temperatures acting over very long periods. © Williams & Wilkins 1990. All Rights Reserved.