CHARACTERISTICS OF FERA ELUVIATED GLEYSOLS DEVELOPED FROM ACID SHALES IN NORTHWESTERN ALBERTA

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Abstract
Fera Eluviated Gleysols developed on highly acidic parent materials are commonly encountered on flat-lying landscapes in the Peace River region of northern Alberta. Characteristics of these soils suggest, a genetic origin, with processes similar to those encountered in Luvisols and Gleysols. Alternation between the two processes has resulted in the formation of a B horizon enriched with clays, principally from the overlying eluviated horizon, and hydrated iron oxides introduced, in part, through groundwater discharge. Goethite, maghemite, and lepidocrocite were identified in horizons containing high concentrations of secondary iron oxides. The unusually high acidity common to these soils is attributed to biogeochemical oxidation of pyrite in the oxidizing zone of the surface geological deposit, and not to pedogenic processes.

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