• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.90 no.5
• /
• pp.608-618
• /
• 2001

To understand the weathering processes of the soil by submicroscopic method is very important to realize the properties of the soils. In this study soil formation processes show every steps to the changes in chemical and mechanical properties and the submicroscopic characteristics of soil weathering on the profiles of forest soils derived from granite in southern part of Korea. Fecal pellets(SEM) are given a full detail of the positive activities of the forest soil animals; mainly invertebrates in the O horizon and the E horizon. External shapes of fecal pellets have been divided into five groups : spherical, ellipsoidal, cylindrical, platy and threadlike. But doughnutlike form of fecal pellets is observed in this study. The soluble and suspended materials in the soils move downwards by percolation from the A horizon to the B or the BC horizons, and result in the illuviation cutans(SEM) on the ped surface of the lower horizon and deposited stack of kaolinite. Illuviated cutans are deposited on the ped surface even in the depth of 312cm in the BC horizon as well as the Bt horizon and comprise of fine silt, coarse clay and fine clay. A lot of halloysites are observed on the cutan surface. Halloysite formation from feldspars has been well known but a lot of hallyosite formation are observed in this study. The formation were predicted by Jackson(1962), inferred by Wada and Kakuto(1983a, b) and proved evidently by Cho and Mermut(1992a, b). This also suggests that halloysites in the soils derived from granite are formed a lot from ferruginous chlorites. The release of Fe from the chlorite structure are significant pedogenic processes and newly formed Fe oxides imparted a red color to the soils. The iron oxides particles, which are ejected and recrystalized, aggregate thickly on the edge of the ferruginous chlorites, and this indicates the release of structural Fe from weathered chlorites. Hematites and goethites are frequent in the fine clay in this soils.