Development of soil structure in some turbic cryosols in the Canadian low Arctic

Abstract

Three active nonsorted pattern ground features (mud hummocks) were examined for field macrostructure and micromorphological characteristics. The surface of unvegetated mud hummocks exhibited granic fabric expressed as strong granular structure. Cryoturbic movement caused surface materials to be cycled downward toward the permafrost table and upward into the hummock core. Resultant compression caused coalescence of discrete structural units resulting in matrigranodic fabric and subangular blocky structure. Porphyroskelic fabric associated with massive and occasionally prismatic structure was observed in the core of the hummocks. -from Authors