Zur Mikromorphologie, Systematik und Entwicklung der rezenten und fossilen Lößböden

Abstract

Field and fabric investigations within thin sections of recent and fossil soil formations on loess gave the possibility to determine the existence of definite microscopic fabric types and to establich definite series of soil development which are dependant upon definite areas of distribution. In oder to facilitate the diagnosis of some soil formations on loess which are difficult to distinguish by profile and by chemical investigation, such as braunerde, parabraunerde, lessivé, pseudo-gley and chernozem-like formations, special attention was given to the well characterizing micromorphological properties, which are particularly suitable for taxonomic purposes. In the transition area between the humid and the steppe zone, a particular black soil with somewhat chernozem-like appearance occurs which is not formed on rawloess like the chernozem, but on highly weathered braunerde. It is a tirsoid formation showing a series of particular micromorphological characters which allow an easy distinction from the true and degraded chernozem.