Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T22:56:03.592Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Soil-Carbonate Genesis in the Pinacate Volcanic Field, Northwestern Sonora, Mexico

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Janet L. Slate ,
William B. Bull ,
Teh-Lung Ku ,
Muhammad Shafiqullah ,
Daniel J. Lynch  and
Yi-Pu Huang
Janet L. Slate
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
William B. Bull
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
Teh-Lung Ku
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-0741
Muhammad Shafiqullah
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
Daniel J. Lynch
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
Yi-Pu Huang
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-0741
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Uranium-series methods were used to date and evaluate pedogenic CaCO3 genesis in the Pinacate volcanic field, northwestern Sonora, Mexico. Soils are developed in eolian deposits on lava flows. 230Th/234U dates of pedogenic carbonate are mininum soil ages because of (1) the time needed to yield clasts from flows and to accrete enough carbonate to sample, (2) subsequent additions of uranium, and (3) continued solution and reprecipitation of carbonate rinds. K-Ar dates of basalt flows are maximum soil ages. Maximum and minimum rates of CaCO3 accumulation are calculated from the Th/U dates and K-Ar dates, respectively. The mean maximum rate is 0.13 g CaCO3/cm2/1000 yr and the mean minimum rate is 0.05 g CaCO3/cm2/1000 yr. Least-squares regressions of pedogenic carbonate and clay content and of Th/U ages against K-Ar ages suggest additions to soils from atmospheric sources throughout the late Quaternary. Morphology of pedogenic carbonate and laboratory data for soluble salts indicate that the climate of the Pinacate has not changed significantly during the past 150,000 yr. Soil variability is influenced by proximity of the eolian source. Near the periphery of the Pinacate, carbonate and clay are evenly distributed throughout soil profiles. Within the volcanic field, carbonate and clay are concentrated in soil horizons, suggesting that additions from atmospheric sources are slow enough to allow translocation.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 35 , Issue 3-Part1 , May 1991 , pp. 400 - 416
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bachman, G.O. Machette, M.N. Calcic Soils and Calcretes in the Southwestern United States Open-File Report 77-794 1977 U.S. Geological Survey Denver, CO Google Scholar
Birkeland, P.W. Soils and Geomorphology 1984 Oxford Univ. Press New York Google Scholar
Black, C.A. Evans, D.D. White, J.L. Ensminger, L.E. Clarke, F.E. Methods of Soil Analysis 1965 American Society of Agronomy, Inc Madison, WI 1 770 No. 9, part 1 Google Scholar
Black, C.A. Evans, D.D. White, J.L. Ensminger, L.E. Clarke, F.E. Methods of Soil Analysis 1965 American Society of Agronomy, Inc Madison, WI 771 1572 part 2 Google Scholar
Chadwick, O.A. Davis, J.O. Soil-forming intervals caused by eolian sediment pulses in the Lahontan basin, northwestern Nevada Geology 18 1990 243 246 Google Scholar
Cole, K.L. The Lower Colorado valley: A Pleistocene desert Quaternary Research 25 1986 392 400 Google Scholar
Dohrenwend, J.C. McFadden, L.D. Turrin, B.D. Wells, S.G. K-Ar dating of the Cima volcanic field, eastern Mojave Desert, California: Late Cenozoic volcanic history and landscape evolution Geology 12 1984 163 167 Google Scholar
Dohrenwend, J.C. Wells, S.G. Turrin, B.D. Degradation of Quaternary cinder cones in the Cima volcanic field, Mojave Desert, California Geological Society of America Bulletin 97 1986 421 427 Google Scholar
Dreimanis, Aleksis Quantitative gasometric determination of calcite and dolomite by using Chittick apparatus Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 32 1962 520 529 Google Scholar
Evenari, J. Yaalon, D.H. Gutterman, Y. Note on soils with vesicular structure in deserts Geomorphology 18 1974 162 172 Google Scholar
Faure, G. Principles of Isotope Geology 2nd ed. 1986 Wiley New York Google Scholar
Gardner, R.L. Origin of the Mormon Mesa caliche, Clark County, Nevada Geological Society of America Bulletin 83 1972 143 156 Google Scholar
Gile, L.H. Chronology of lava and associated soils near San Miguel, New Mexico Quaternary Research 33 1990 37 50 Google Scholar
Gile, L.H. Grossman, R.B. The Desert Project Soil Monograph Document PB80-135304 1979 National Technical Information Service Springfield, VA Google Scholar
Gile, L.H. Hawley, J.W. Grossman, R.B. Soils and Geomorphology in the Basin and Range Area of Southern New Mexico—Guidebook to the Desert Project Memoir 39 1981 New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources Socorro Google Scholar
Gile, L.H. Peterson, F.F. Grossman, R.B. Morphological and genetic sequences of carbonate accumulation in desert soils Soil Science 101 1966 347 360 Google Scholar
Hastings, J.R. Climatological Data for Sonora and Northern Sinaloa Technical Reports on the Meteorology and Climatology of Arid Region No. 15 1964 Institute of Atmospheric Physics, University of Arizona Tucson Google Scholar
Hastings, J.R. Humphrey, R.R. Climatological Data and Statistics for Sonora and Northern Sinaloa Technical Reports on the Meteorology and Climatology of Arid Regions No. 19 1969 Institute of Atmospheric Physics, University of Arizona Tucson Google Scholar
Jenny, H. Factors of Soil Formation 1941 McGraw-Hill New York Google Scholar
Jenny, H. The Soil Resource—Origin and Behavior 1980 Springer-Verlag New York Google Scholar
Ku, T.L. Bull, W.B. Freeman, S.T. Knauss, K.G. Th230/U234 dating of pedogenic carbonates in gravelly desert soils of the Vidal Valley, southeastern California Geological Society of America Bulletin 90 1979 1063 1073 Google Scholar
Ku, T.L. Liang, Z.C. The dating of impure carbonates with decay-series isotopes Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research 223 1984 563 571 Google Scholar
Lynch, D.J. Genesis and Geochronology of Alkaline Volcanism in the Pinacate Volcanic Field, Northwestern Sonora, Mexico 1981 University of Arizona Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation Google Scholar
Machette, M.N. Dating Quaternary faults in the southwestern U.S. by using buried calcic paleosols Journal of Research, U.S. Geological Survey 6 1978 369 381 Google Scholar
Machette, M.N. Morphology, age, and rate of accumulation of pedogenic CaCO3 in some calcareous soils and pedogenic calcretes of southwestern United States Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 14 1982 182 Google Scholar
Machette, M.N. Calcic soils of the southwestern United States Weide, D.L. Soils and Quaternary Geology of the Southwestern United States Special Paper 203 1985 Geological Society of America Boulder, CO 1 21 Google Scholar
May, L.A. Resource Reconnaissance of the Gran Desierto Region, Northwestern Sonora, Mexico 1973 University of Arizona Unpublished M.S. thesis Google Scholar
McFadden, L.D. Wells, S.G. Dohrenwend, J.C. Influences of Quaternary climatic changes on processes of soil development on desert loess deposits of the Cima volcanic field, California Catena 13 1986 361 389 Google Scholar
McFadden, L.D. Wells, S.G. Jercinovich, M.J. Influences of eolian and pedogenic processes on the origin and evolution of desert pavement Geology 15 1987 504 508 Google Scholar
Merriam, R. Source of the sand dunes of southeastern California and northwestern Sonora, Mexico Geological Society of America Bulletin 80 1969 531 534 Google Scholar
Papadakis, J. Potential Evapotranspiration—Some Considerations on Penman Method. A Simpler and more Accurate Formula “Stomatic” Evaporimeter 1965 The Author Buenos Aires, Argentina Google Scholar
Reheis, M.C. Chronologic and Climatic Control on Soil Development, Northern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming and Montana 1984 University of Colorado Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation Google Scholar
Shreve, F. “Vegetation and Flora of the Sonoran Desert,” Vol. I. Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication 591 1951 Washington, DC Google Scholar
Shreve, F. Vegetation of the Sonoran Desert Shreve, F. Wiggins, I.L. Vegetation and Flora of the Sonoran Desert 1964 Stanford Univ. Press Stanford, CA 9 186 Google Scholar
Singer, M.J. Janitzky, P. Field and Laboratory Procedures Used in a Soil Chronosequence Study Bulletin 1648 1986 U.S. Geological Survey Denver, CO Google Scholar
Soil Survey Staff “Soil Survey Manual,” Handbook 18 1951 U.S. Department of Agriculture Washington, DC Google Scholar
Soil Survey Staff “Soil Taxonomy,” Handbook 436 1975 U.S. Department of Agriculture Washington, DC Google Scholar
Sowers, J.M. Geomorphology and pedology on the Kyle Canyon alluvial fan, southern Nevada Field Trip Guidebook 1988 Geological Society of America, Cordilleran Section 137 157 Weide, D.L. Faber, M.L. This Extended Land, Geological Journeys in the Southern Basin and Range Field Trip Guidebook 1988 Geological Society of America, Cordilleran Section 137 157 Google Scholar
Tiedemann, A.R. Klemmedson, J.O. Effect of mesquite on physical and chemical properties of the soil Journal of Range Management 28 1973 27 29 Google Scholar
Tiedemann, A.R. Klemmedson, J.O. Effect of mesquite trees on vegetation and soils in the desert grassland Journal of Range Management 30 1977 361 367 Google Scholar
Turner, R.M. Brown, D.E. Sonoran desertscrub Brown, D.E. Desert Plants Vol. 4 1982 University of Arizona for the Boyce Thompson Southwestern Arboretum Superior 181 221 Google Scholar
Wells, S.G. Dohrenwend, J.C. McFadden, L.D. Late Cenozoic landscape evolution on lava flow surfaces of the Cima volcanic field, Mojave Desert, California Geological Society of America Bulletin 96 1985 1518 1529 2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar