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The use of radiocarbon dating of organic matter in the study of soil genesis

dc.contributor.authorPaul, Eldor A., author
dc.contributor.authorMartel, Y. A., author
dc.contributor.authorSoil Science Society of America, publisher
dc.date.accessioned2007-01-03T07:05:43Z
dc.date.available2007-01-03T07:05:43Z
dc.date.issued1974-05
dc.description.abstractRadiocarbon dating was used to study the nature and the stability of the organic matter in a range of Chernozemic soils (Borolls) from Saskatchewan. Two catenas, one cultivated, the other not, were studied in detail; the bottom soils of the uncultivated catena contained buried horizons. From the crest of the knoll to the depression, the mean residence time of the surface horizon of the cultivated catena decreased from 545 years before present (B.P.) to modern, the organic matter content increased and the percentage of hydrolyzable carbon decreased. The content of organic matter decreased but the mean residence time increased by 700 to 4,000 years in the B horizons. Two buried horizons located at different depths underneath the lower members of the uncultivated catena showed mean residence times of 5,950 and 8,410 years B.P. indicating that mass movement of soil had periodically occurred since the last glaciation. The 14C content of a field soil, measured by radiocarbon dating, was compared with the 14C distribution in fractions of another sample of the same soil after amendment with 14C-acetate and 350 days incubation in the laboratory. The artificially labelled soil accumulated more of the tracer in the acid hydrolyzable fractions than was found by radiocarbon dating the field soil. In turn, the distribution of soil nitrogen was more closely associated with the 14C than with the unlabelled carbon of the soil.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediumarticles
dc.identifier.bibliographicCitationMartel, Y. A. and E. A. Paul, The Use of Radiocarbon Dating of Organic Matter in the Study of Soil Genesis. Soil Science Society of America Proceedings 38, no. 3 (May-June 1974): 501-516. https://dx.doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1974.03615995003800030033x.
dc.identifier.doihttps://dx.doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1974.03615995003800030033x
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10217/85529
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartofFaculty Publications
dc.rights©1974 Soil Science Society of America.
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjecthumus
dc.subjectcatena
dc.subjectmean residence time
dc.titleThe use of radiocarbon dating of organic matter in the study of soil genesis
dc.typeText

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The use of radiocarbon dating of organic matter in the study of soil genesis