Particle Translocation and Initial Soil Development on a Glacier Foreland, Kerguelen Islands, Subantarctic

• Published in: Arctic and alpine research Vol. 27; no. 2; pp. 107 - 115
• Main Authors: Frenot, Yves, Van Vliet-Lanoë, Brigitte, Gloaguen, Jean-Claude
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research 01.05.1995
• Subjects: Alpine glaciers; Boulders; Clay soils; Glacial soils; Gravel; Pedogenesis; Permafrost; Silts; Soil ecology; Soil horizons
• DOI: 10.1080/00040851.1995.12003104
• ISSN: 0004-0851

The first stages of soil formation in the subantarctic are poorly known. In the Kerguelen Islands, initial soil development was studied along a chronosequence (0-200 yr old) on a glacier foreland in a largely ahumic environment. The role of organic matter and attendant weathering is much less than the physical processes related to the high precipitation on the Kerguelen glacier forelands where mechanical weathering, frost-heaving, and particle translocation are dominant. These processes can be considered as an initial, prebiotic pedogenesis development in oligotrophic conditions. Colonization processes occur but the establishment of plant communities is slow, limited by nutrient and water availability. After a delay of two centuries, biotic pedogenesis could supplement mechanical pedogenesis as shown by the development of the new A0/A1 horizon, rejuvenating the old sites. This new trend increases the stability of the soil surfaces, increases the nutrient and water availability for plant, and consequently favors the establishment of new plant communities. The resulting biotic pedogenesis is still incipient within the time scale of our observations.