Pedogenesis of Fluvial Terrace Soils Related to Geomorphic Processes in Central Taiwan

Wen-Shu Huang, Chi-Shu Liang, Heng Tsai (), Zeng-Yi Hseu and Shiuh-Tsuen Huang
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Wen-Shu Huang: Center of General Education, National Chungcheng University, Chiayi 62102, Taiwan
Chi-Shu Liang: Department of Geography, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua 50058, Taiwan
Heng Tsai: Department of Geography, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua 50058, Taiwan
Zeng-Yi Hseu: Department of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
Shiuh-Tsuen Huang: Department of Science Education and Application, National Taichung University of Education, Taichung 40306, Taiwan

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: Pedogenetic features of the soils could be a proxy for revealing the landform surface processes. Our work first analyzed the particle size distributions and lithological discontinuities (LDs) of the soils in the midstream of the Zoushui River, central Taiwan. The results showed that the parental materials of the soils derive from mixed sediments of the Zoushui River and its tributaries, and the LDs of some soils suggested multi-depositional events with homogeneous lithology. Then, we proposed a soil chronosequence of Inceptisols, Ultisols, and Oxisols, over the Pleistocene timescale. There was a very well-defined semilogarithmic relationship between weighted profile development index (WPDI) values and soil age with correlation coefficients (r) greater than 0.9. The age of the soils did not certainly agree with the interglacials of the main marine isotope stage (MIS). However, the soils started to develop only after being aggraded by relatively warm and humid periods or by extreme rain events in cool and dry periods. Irrespective of whether the soils had started to develop, tectonic downcutting, providing clear altitudinal separation of the terrace treads, could inevitably happen later (or almost synchronologically) to ensure stabilities of the tread surfaces.

Keywords: soil chronosequence; river terrace; soil geomorphology; landform surface processes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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