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Paper No. 13
Presentation Time: 8:00 AM-12:00 PM
A SOIL GENESIS INVESTIGATION INTO POSSIBLE LONG RANGE TRANSPORT OF FOREIGN SEDIMENTS IN THE STAN CREEK AND TOLEDO DISTRICTS OF BELIZE
Throughout the world, long range transport of soils play a major role in the total global dust budget. In the Americas, research by Muhs and others (2007), suggests that wind blown clays from the deserts of north Africa play a role in soil genesis. It is the focus of this present study to investigate the soils in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (CBWS) in the Stan Creek District, and in the Bladen Nature Reserve (BNR) in the Toledo District of Belize, for possible eolian influence. Our study is motivated by the potential use of eolian sediments as a proxy for paleo-climate variations. Presently there has been little-to-no soils research in the CBWS and BNR. If eolian components are present, their origin will be investigated to determine paleo-wind directions. We hypothesize that potential eolian sediments will originate from either volcanic ash from the Lesser Antilles, or dust from the Sahara/Sahel region of north Africa. Both potential foreign components are mineralogically distinguishable from local parent materials. Well established work on eolian soil components by Muhs and others (2007) in Barbados, Bahamas, southeastern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America has documented mineralogic composition from those two foreign sources. In our study we have sampled soils and parent material from two different watersheds with different geologic parent materials in Belize. Out of 58 hand dug soil pits, 22 were chosen to be used in this study. Soil parent materials consist of biotite-rich granitic bedrock in the CBWS, and limestone, rhyolite, and a mixture of limestone/rhyolitic alluvium in the BNR. We will distinguish between parent materials and foreign eolian sediments by using the following trace elements: Cr, Sc, Th, and Zr. The most likely host minerals for these trace elements are: micas, amphiboles, and clay minerals for Cr and Sc; micas, amphiboles, zircon, sphene, and clay minerals for Th; Zr is found almost exclusively in zircon (Muhs and others, 2007). X- ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence analyses are being conducted in order to identify major and trace elements and mineralogy in an effort to identify parent material origin. We will utilize the most likely origins to suggest paleo-wind, and to expand the knowledge of paleo-climatic conditions.