Resumo: Neste trabalho são analisados perfis de solo das formações Rio Claro e Piraçununga, na região dos municípios homônimos, com relação às características morfológicas, granulométricas e mineralógicas, com vistas ao entendimento de sua evolução. A partir destas informações e aplicando a técnica de pedoestratigrafia, foi possível estabelecer a ocorrência de uma Unidade Pedoestratigráfica, soterrada por arenitos fluviais das formações estudadas. Os principais minerais encontrados nos perfis de solo são quartzo e caulinita, secundariamente gibsita, clorita, óxidos e hidróxidos de ferro e traços de feldspatos. Ocorrem, ainda, argilominerais interestratificados: nos solos da Formação Rio Claro, encontrou-se caulinita/esmectita e montmorilonita/sepiolita; nos solos da Formação Piraçununga, montmorilonita/vermiculita e caulinita/haloisita. A presença de argilominerais estáveis e instáveis conjuntamente, bem como os índices ki e kr, evidenciam que estes solos ainda não atingiram o grau máximo de pedogênese, constituindo perfis relativamente jovens como os pertencentes às classes dos Cambissolos, Nitossolos e Neossolos; que recobrem antigos solos da Unidade Pedoestratigráfica identificada na base dos perfis. Sedimentos das formações Rio Claro e Piraçununga, amostrados nos perfis estudados, foram datados por termoluminescência, apresentando idades do Pleistoceno e do limite Pleistoceno/Holoceno. A mais antiga foi determinada em perfil da Formação Rio Claro, datando de 745000 AP, e a mais recente, em perfil da Formação Piraçununga, com 15000 AP, esta última em depósitos coluvionares sobrepostos. Os materiais que constituem os perfis modais foram datados entre 400000 AP e 145000 AP, em ambas unidades. / Abstract: Soil profiles of Rio Claro and Piraçununga formations are analyzed, in the vicinity of the cities of the same names, with respect to their morphologic, textural and mineralogical characteristics, looking for their pedological evolution. By applying the concepts of Pedostratigraphy, it was stablished one Pedostratigraphic Unit, buried by fluvial sandstones of both units. The main minerals found in soil profiles are quartz and kaolinite; secondary gibbsite, chlorite, iron oxides and hydroxides; and trace feldspar. There were also found interstratified clay minerals: kaolinite/smectite and montmorillonite/sepiolite in soil profiles of Rio Claro Formation; montmorillonite/vermiculite and kaolinite/halloysite in soil profiles of Piraçununga Formation. The occurrence of stable and unstable clay minerals together and the values of ki and kr, indicate that the studied soils have not achieved the maximum grade of pedogenetic development and may be compared to young soils like Inceptsols, Alfisols and Entisols, that overly an old soil of the Pedostratigraphic Unit at the base of the soil profiles. The sandstones of Rio Claro and Piraçununga formations were dated by the method of thermoluminescence, revealing ages of the Pleistocene and of the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary. The oldest age was determined for Rio Claro Formation (745000 AP) and the youngest for the Piraçununga Formation (15000 AP). The sediments of modal soil profiles of both formations range from 400000 AP to 145000 AP ages. / Orientador: Maria Rita Caetano Chang / Coorientador: Chang Hung Kiang / Banca: Paulo Milton Barbosa Landim / Banca: Jairo Roberto Jiménez Rueda / Banca: Wanderley Antonio Tremocoldi / Banca: Reinaldo Lorandi / Doutor

Soil columns of predominantly Peawick and Slagle soils had various amounts of alum residuals, lime and plant nutrients incorporated into the topsoil. A weekly dose of rainwater was applied to each column over a six month period. Leachate and soil constituents were analyzed to evaluate migration of specific constituents from the alum residuals through the soil profile and into the groundwater. Soil analysis indicated little, if any, migration of metals from the alum residuals occurred. Metal constituents found within the leachate appear to have originated from the soil rather than the alum residuals. Of the measured anions, nitrate - nitrogen was the only component which had increasing concentrations within the leachate. Much, if not all, of the nitrate can be attributed to the plant nutrients incorporated into the topsoil and disturbance of the topsoil. Nitrate and zinc were the only components that consistently degraded the leachate quality beyond Virginia Water Control Boards' Groundwater Standards, but were within observed ranges of non-sludge amended soil columns. Groundwater contamination is not likely as a result of land application of alum residuals up to a loading of four percent. / Master of Science

Some chosen physical properties have been observed in the field experiment on the land of Stagra, s. r. o., Studená in 2009. There have been compared two technologies "minimum tillage" (MT) and "conventional tillage" (CT). There was evaluated especially bulk density (Or), porosity and soil compaction. Bulk density was statistical significantly higher under conservation tillage than under ploughing in soil profil at the depth to 0,2 m. But at the depth more than 0,25 m bulk density was higher (it means less favourable) under CT than under MT. It can be concluded, that the minimum tillage doesn´t deteriorate the compaction in the subsoil. The average values were not higher than critical levels of damaged compaction for sandy-loam soil. The soil compaction measurement confirmed this trend. The values of total porosity (Pc) show nearly the same conclusions as Or. The most favourable values of Pc occur in topsoil, which is tilled.

Numerous flights of Quaternary marine terraces are present around the island of Cyprus, in the Eastern Mediterranean. These terraces are a result of the global eustatic sea-level curve and local tectonism. Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 through MIS 13 terraces are identified, mapped and dated. Palaeoshoreline elevation, an excellent indicator for a past sea–level, and new numerical geochronology are used to calculate an Upper Pleistocene uplift rate for various coastal sectors. Southwestern Cyprus presents the highest uplift rates of 0.35-0.65 mm/year with other sections suggesting uplift of 0.07-0.15 mm/year. This Upper Pleistocene tectonic signal is attributed to an active offshore subduction/collision system to the southwest of Cyprus, evidenced from the seismic activity offshore and the surface expression of a blind thrust fault in the Pafos region. Soil chronosequences and geology in southwestern Cyprus are studied in order to understand the Quaternary development on this uplifting landscape. Soil profile properties are used to calculate a profile development index (PDI), a method often applied to geomorphic surfaces as a relative dating method. Well-developed red and clayey soils occur in the coastal sector, on broad and low-angle surfaces, specifically on marine terraces and alluvial fans. Higher elevations of steep slopes consisting of carbonate and ophiolite lithologies host poorly developed soils. Results show variable PDI's on uplifted terraces, obscured by transported materials, active alluvial fan buildup and hillslope erosion. Calcium carbonate build-up in soil profiles in the form of nodular and laminar accumulations are used as another relative dating method. Geochronology of marine terraces is used as an age range approximation for carbonate stages. Geomorphologic mapping focuses on the southeastern part of the Pafos thrust fault, the only point on the landscape where this otherwise blind fault is exposed on the surface. This is the location of Palaipafos, an important Ancient polity, today the site of the village of Kouklia. Geoarchaeological study suggests little landscape change over the last 4000 years in the vicinity of the urban core of Palaipafos, this being attributed to bedrock and landscape resistance of its location, a plateau at 80 m amsl. Copper deposits in the Palaipafos hinterland had provided a valuable resource at one time. Soil and water resources continue to sustain agriculture.Tectonic uplift in this part of the Pafos thrust fault is estimated to be 2.1mm/year, considered, together with Late Holocene sea-level change responsible for the shifting locations and eventual abandonment of the Palaipafos harbor in the coastal lowlands. / Graduation date: 2013

Die geochemischen Verhältnisse der Böden des Erzgebirge und Vogtlandes werden auf der Grundlage der komplexen geochemischen Analyse von ausgewählten, flächenrepräsentativen Bodenprofilen auf Hauptgesteinen des Untersuchungegebietes charakterisiert. Die Wirkungsweisen vorhandener Einflussfaktoren (Gesteinschemismus, Bodengenese, Bodennutzung) werden untersucht und bewertet. Die Untersuchungen stellen eine Grundlage für die Ableitung von geologisch bedingten regionalen Hintergrundbelastungen dar. / A characterization of the soil geochemistry of the Erzgebirge and Vogtland Regions (Saxony) is provided on the basis of the investigation of characteristic soil profiles on major bedrock types of the area. Different factors of influence (rock geochemistry, soil formation, land utilization) are investigated and evaluated. The investigation provides essential information for the development of regional background concentrations.

Ph.d.-afhandling. Den Kongelige Veterinær- og Landbohøjskole, 2002. / Haves også i trykt udg.

From the Proceedings of the 1971 Meetings of the Arizona Section - American Water Resources Assn. and the Hydrology Section - Arizona Academy of Science - April 22-23, 1971, Tempe, Arizona / Knowledge of the dynamic water content-pressure potential relationship within the soil profile is useful in determining the importance of hysteresis under natural conditions. Continuous monitoring of water content in the field is now possible using recently developed gamma-ray transmission equipment which allows water content measurements in 1 cm-thick soil layers with an error of 0.0009 gm/gm. The nuclear equipment and the tensiometer assembly for pressure measurements are described. Soil water content and pressure in the top 10 cm of a field soil profile were measured continuously for a 2-week period following an irrigation. The highest water content was measured each day just before sunrise. This declined rapidly from early morning to early afternoon, and was followed by a gain during the mid-afternoon and evening. The amplitude of this diurnal change diminished with time after irrigation. The pressure potential at a depth of 1.5 cm decreased most rapidly as the water content declined, but not exactly in phase. This may have been due to temperature effects on the pressure metering system. A moisture characteristic curve was constructed from the data.

Die geochemischen Verhältnisse der Böden des Erzgebirge und Vogtlandes werden auf der Grundlage der komplexen geochemischen Analyse von ausgewählten, flächenrepräsentativen Bodenprofilen auf Hauptgesteinen des Untersuchungegebietes charakterisiert. Die Wirkungsweisen vorhandener Einflussfaktoren (Gesteinschemismus, Bodengenese, Bodennutzung) werden untersucht und bewertet. Die Untersuchungen stellen eine Grundlage für die Ableitung von geologisch bedingten regionalen Hintergrundbelastungen dar. / A characterization of the soil geochemistry of the Erzgebirge and Vogtland Regions (Saxony) is provided on the basis of the investigation of characteristic soil profiles on major bedrock types of the area. Different factors of influence (rock geochemistry, soil formation, land utilization) are investigated and evaluated. The investigation provides essential information for the development of regional background concentrations.

The Ullafelsen at 1869 m above sea level (a.s.l.) in the Tyrolean Stubai Alps next to Innsbruck is an important (geo)archeological reference site for the Mesolithic period. Buried fireplaces on the Ullafelsen plateau were dated at 10.9 to 9.5 ka cal BP and demonstrate together with thousands of flint stone artifacts the presence of hunter-gatherers during the Early Holocene. Grazing livestock has been a predominant anthropozoological impact in the Fotsch Valley presumably since the Bronze Age (4.2–2.8 ka). In order to study the human and/or livestock faeces input on the Ullafelsen, we carried out steroid analyses on 2 modern ruminant faeces samples from cattle and sheep, 37 soil samples from seven archeological soil profiles, and 9 soil samples from five non-archeological soil profiles from the Fotsch Valley used as reference sites. The dominance of 5β-stigmastanol and deoxycholic acid in modern cattle and sheep faeces can be used as markers for the input of ruminant faeces in soils. The OAh horizons, which have accumulated and developed since the Mesolithic, revealed high contents of steroids (sterols, stanols, stanones and bile acids); the eluvial light layer (E (LL)) horizon coinciding with the Mesolithic living floor is characterized by medium contents of steroids. By contrast, the subsoil horizons Bh, Bs and BvCv contain low contents of faecal biomarkers, indicating that leaching of steroids into the podsolic subsoils is not an important factor. High content of 5β-stigmastanol and deoxycholic acid in all soil samples gives evidence for faeces input of ruminants. The steroid patterns and ratios indicate a negligible input of human faeces on the Ullafelsen. In conclusion, our results reflect a strong faeces input by livestock, rather than by humans as found for other Anthrosols such as Amazonian dark earths. Further studies need to focus on the question of the exact timing of faeces deposition.

Isolated granitic rock bodies (granites, granodiorites, quartz monzonites) in the vicinity of Benson in southeastern Arizona were studied to trace the behavior of rock weathering. Thin sections of fresh granites were examined to characterize the original mineralogy which consisted mainly of quartz, feldspars, and micas. The weathering products show up on the granites as grus and soil profiles as well as down slope in the basin deposits. X -ray diffraction studies of the < 2 micrometers fraction of the weathering products proved illite, smectite, illite-smectite mixed layer, and kaolinite to be the dominant clays; quartz and feldspar also persisted into this size fraction. Silt sized material produced similar results. The quartz monzonite of Texas Canyon afforded a special study of the initial weathering stages of feldspars and micas. In the < 2 micrometers fraction obtained from granitic material placed in an ultra sonic bath, the feldspars weathered to a Na-montmorillinite while biotite weathered to vermiculite.