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-0422108Randall Schaetzl密歇根州立大学土壤地貌研究通常将土壤和地貌学的现场和实验室工作联系起来，以回答有关景观演化的问题。 在该框架内工作，该项目将为美国中西部部分地区生成空间数据集，即粉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次区域粉质土壤的空间特征，并将这些特征与已知黄土土壤区域进行比较，以确定这三个区域的土壤是否是在粉质黄土或其他粉质沉积物中形成的。 使用这些空间特征图，我还应该能够确定这些区域中淤泥的来源区域。 这些地图是为中西部北部三个“异常”粉质土壤区域绘制的，构成了该研究的核心。 这些地区位于其他沙质景观中，包括 (1) 格雷林手指 (Grayling Fingers) 和 (2) 密歇根州北部北部的巴克利平原 (Buckley Flats) 地区，以及 (3) 密歇根州上半岛 (UP) 和威斯康星州东北部 (西部) 的佩什基高地UP 边界区域。 在现场，我将使用现有的数字土壤地图和 GPS，对这三个区域内具有异常粉质质地的土壤进行定位和采样。 这些土壤样本随后将被带回地理系第四纪景观研究小组实验室进行进一步分析。 然后，将分析来自土壤及其母质的数据，例如矿物质含量、颜色、质地、颗粒形状、岩性、母质厚度等，以确定每种土壤的母质特征，并定量地将其与特定的土壤母质特征联系起来。母质，即赋予其沉积学特征。 特定土壤沉积学特征图就是我上面提到的空间特征图。 确定这些土壤上的淤泥盖是否是黄土（这可能至少位于三个区域之一）将通过将三个区域中每一个区域内的土壤空间特征与土壤的空间特征和特征进行比较来确定。已经从威斯康星州西部和伊利诺伊州西北部的厚黄土地区进行了采样。 使用该协议生成的数据应该在整个空间中系统地、可预测地变化，并且可能为景观演化研究打开新的大门，而景观演化研究以前充满了难以克服的“数据需求”障碍。 这项研究可以实现的协同效应和知识收益将刺激对景观演化的新研究，并为科学界和非专业界提供以以前不可能的方式检查土壤和沉积物模式的机会。 这项研究将增进我们对自上次冰期结束以来中西部上部运行的风驱动和土壤系统的理解。 这项面向现场和实验室的研究还将完善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经过测试的方法。 该方法还可以帮助土壤制图人员重新绘制该地区的土壤图，并提高人们对土壤图在地理研究中的实用性的认识。 最后，该项目进行的研究将为多名研究生和本科生提供教育机会，并建设密歇根州立大学的科学基础设施。