RENDZINA-TYPE SOILS IN THE OGILVIE MOUNTAINS, YUKON TERRITORY

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Abstract
Soils developed on calcareous bedrock with up to 60 cm of humus-rich A horizons from the Ogilvie Mountains in the Yukon Territory are described. These soils are of interest because they do not fit well into soil classification schemes and results from conventional analytical techniques are unreliable. Some of the unusual characteristics of these soils are well developed Ah horizons with high organic C contents, and high Ch/Cf ratios, on well drained sites in a dry permafrost environment. These soils are probably of polygenetic origin. They have developed under conditions where humic acid accumulation is greater than decomposition as a result of the limestone-rich environment, and where a portion of the organic component might be derived from residues of bedrock weathering.