Methods of Study Paleosols
摘要
There is a large group of soil components that often remain outside the scope of traditional soil morphology. At best, these components are only briefly mentioned in reports, but they can solve various problems of pedogenesis. Microfossils (or microbiomophs) are microscopic biogenic particles with the specific morphology: detritus, phytoliths, spicules, pollen, and other remains of biota. Since each of these particles is formed under specific landscape conditions, a comprehensive analysis allows us to reconstruct ancient pedogenic conditions and the evolution of soils. One of the main advantages of this method is the fact that particles are formed quickly (days–months) but are preserved for a long time (thousands–millions of years). Every stage of soil and landscape developments or human impacts forms its own microbiomorph profile, and profiles of different stages can be distinguished. Human impacts such as grazing, tillage, and tree felling also exert a considerable influence on the qualitative and quantitative distribution of microbiomorphs through the profile. The most interesting results are often gained from multiple microbiomorphic analyses because different types of particles can reveal different aspects of environmental or soil development. Their information capacity is different, and results for different microbiomorphs are often complementary. Thus, microbiomorphic analysis can provide information that is not otherwise available and may clarify some controversial issues in soil genesis and cultural changes.