| Abstract: | Formation of poorly crystallized weathering products in strongly to extremely acid forest soils Poorly crystallized weathering products, formed as a consequence of wide-spread extrem acidification and silicate weathering in forest soils, were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM, EDXRA) and chemical analyses. The investigations were carried out on five extremely acid forest soils (different Luvisols, a Gleyic Luvisol and a Luvic Podzol) derived from different parent materials (loess, sand loess, glacial sands/loam) in Northrhine Westfalia and Schleswig-Holstein. The results reveal an intense destruction of clay minerals and other silicates in the extremely acid topsoils leading to an accumulation of poorly crystallized to amorphous compounds. These weathering products occur predominantly as silicic coatings on the surface of soil aggregates or as small spherical precipitates on mineral surfaces. Besides Si they contain small amounts of Al and Fe. |
