Spatial Signatures of Soils and Sediments: Geomorphic Research on Silty Soils in the Midwest USA

土壤和沉积物的空间特征：美国中西部粉质土壤的地貌研究

• 批准号: 0422108
• 负责人: Randall Schaetzl
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Michigan State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-08-15 至 2008-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0422108&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Spatial; Signatures; Soils; Sediments; Geomorphic

AbstractBCS-0422108Randall SchaetzlMichigan State UniversitySoil geomorphic research usually links field and lab work in soils and geomorphology to answer questions about landscape evolution. Working within that framework, this project will produce spatial data sets, i.e., detailed maps of mineralogical and textural characteristics, of soils developed in silty surficial sediments, for parts of the midwestern USA. Put another way, I will ascertain the spatial signatures of silty soils in three midwestern subregions and compare these signatures to areas of known loessial soils, to determine if the soils in each of these three regions have formed in silty loess - or some other silty sediment. Using these spatial signatures maps I should also be able to ascertain the source areas of the silts in these regions. The maps, created for three areas of "anomalous" silty soils in the upper midwest, form the core of the research. These areas, set within otherwise sandy landscapes, are (1) the Grayling Fingers and (2) the Buckley Flats regions of northern lower Michigan, and (3) the Peshekee Highlands in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (UP) and in the NE Wisconsin - western UP border area. In the field, using existing digital soil maps and a GPS, I will locate and sample soils that have anomalously silty textures within these three regions. Samples from these soils will then be taken back to the Quaternary Landscapes Research Group lab in the Department of Geography, for further analysis. Data from the soils and their parent materials, e.g., mineral amounts, colors, textures, particle shapes, lithologies, parent material thickness, etc., will then be then analyzed to determine parent material characteristics for each soil, quantitatively tying it to a specific parent material, i.e., giving it a sedimentologic signature. Maps of specific soils' sedimentological signatures are the spatial signatures maps that I refer to above. Ascertaining whether the silt cap on these soils is loess, which it is likely to be in at least one of the three regions, will be determined by comparing the spatial signatures of soils within each of the three regions to spatial signatures and characteristics of soils that will have already been sampled from the thick loess regions of western Wisconsin and NW Illinois. The data generated using this protocol should vary systematically and predictably across space, and may open new doors for research into landscape evolution that previously would have been fraught with insurmountable "data needs" obstacles. The synergies and knowledge gains that can be achieved from this research will stimulate new research on landscape evolution and provide opportunities for the scientific and lay communities to examine soils and sediment patterns in ways that have previously been impossible. The research will add to our understanding of wind-driven and soils systems that have operated in the upper midwest since the end of the last glaciation. This field- and lab-oriented research will also hone and expand a method that may become a standard for many soil geomorphology studies, providing a tested method for detailed resource mapping. This method may also assist soil mappers as they remap the region's soils and will heighten awareness of the utility of soil maps in geographic research. Finally, the research undertaken in this project will provide educational opportunities for several graduate and undergraduate students, as well as building the scientific infrastructure of MSU.

摘要BCS-0422108 Randall Schaetzl密歇根州立大学土壤地貌研究通常将土壤和地貌学的野外和实验室工作联系起来，以回答有关景观演变的问题。 在这一框架内，该项目将产生空间数据集，即，美国中西部部分地区淤泥质表层沉积物中发育的土壤的矿物学和结构特征的详细地图。 换句话说，我将确定中西部三个分区的粉质土壤的空间特征，并将这些特征与已知的黄土土壤区域进行比较，以确定这三个区域中的土壤是否形成于粉质黄土或其他一些粉质沉积物中。 利用这些空间特征图，我也应该能够确定这些地区的泥沙来源。 这些地图是为中西部北部的三个“异常”粉质土壤地区绘制的，构成了研究的核心。 这些地区，设置在其他桑迪景观，是（1）格雷林手指和（2）巴克利平原地区的北方下密歇根州，和（3）佩谢基高地在密歇根州的上半岛（UP）和东北威斯康星州-西部UP边境地区。 在实地，利用现有的数字土壤地图和GPS，我将定位和采样土壤中有不良粉质质地在这三个地区。 这些土壤的样本将被带回地理系的第四纪景观研究小组实验室进行进一步分析。 来自土壤及其母质的数据，例如，矿物量、颜色、纹理、颗粒形状、岩性、母质厚度等，然后将进行分析，以确定每种土壤的母质特性，定量地将其与特定的母质联系起来，即，这是一个沉积特征 特定土壤的沉积学特征图就是我上面提到的空间特征图。 确定这些土壤上的粉土帽是否为黄土（很可能至少在三个区域中的一个），将通过比较三个区域中每个区域内土壤的空间特征与已从威斯康星州西部和伊利诺斯州西北部厚黄土区域取样的土壤的空间特征和特征来确定。 使用该协议生成的数据应该在空间上有系统地和可预测地变化，并可能为研究景观演变打开新的大门，以前会充满不可逾越的“数据需求”障碍。 从这项研究中可以实现的协同作用和知识增益将刺激对景观演变的新研究，并为科学界和非专业界提供机会，以以前不可能的方式研究土壤和沉积物模式。 这项研究将增加我们对自末次冰期结束以来在中西部上游运作的风力驱动和土壤系统的理解。 这种以实地和实验室为导向的研究还将磨练和扩展一种可能成为许多土壤地貌学研究标准的方法，为详细的资源测绘提供一种经过测试的方法。 这种方法也可以帮助土壤制图者重新绘制该地区的土壤，并提高人们对土壤图在地理研究中的效用的认识。 最后，在这个项目中进行的研究将为一些研究生和本科生提供教育机会，以及建设密歇根州立大学的科学基础设施。