Abstract

Mineralogy of sand, silt and clay fractions from the five chronosequence soils of Jeju Island is studied with the X-ray, TEM and SEM techniques. Soils of Songag and Donghong situated at lower elevations are generally developed on relatively of ash or alluvial deposits and contain mainly ferromagnesian minerals and feldspars, with some quartz, mica and volcanic glass. Crystalline minerals are dominant in the clay fraction; halloysite and vermiculite are abundant but small amounts of allophane are present. Clay migration results in well developed ferrigargillan, Soils of Pyeongdae and Heugag located at higher elevations are developed on relatively young volcanic ash with some contamination of continental aeolian dust probably containing quartz which may be come from acid ash shower. The absence of clay illuivation is due to the dominance of allophane. This clay mineral is associated with some gibbsite, imogolite and halloysite.

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