Origin and Significance of Gibbsitic Montane Soils in Scotland, U.K.

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Abstract
Thirty-four montane soil profiles, derived from a variety of lithological materials and distributed widely throughout Scotland, were examined using X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. In addition, soil thin sections were studied by optical microscopy. Minerals identified in the clay (< 2 .mu.m) fraction of the soils include mica, vermiculite, interstratified mica-vermiculite, kaolinite, gibbsite, quartz, and feldspars, together with subordinate amounts of chlorite and halloysite. In 19 of the 34 C horizon samples, gibbsite contents exceeded 1%. In samples from the A and B horizons, however, gibbsite was detected far less frequently and in substantially lower quantities. The gibbsite appears largely to be the product of intense decomposition of feldspar minerals, particularly plagioclase feldspar, and is interpreted as a relict feature derived from a preglacial Pleistocene or even Tertiary regolith that formed under humid warm temperature to subtropical conditions.

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