Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-2lccl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T15:40:53.697Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Evidence for the silicate source of relict soils on the Edwards Plateau, central Texas ☆

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

M. Jennifer Cooke ,
Libby A. Stern ,
Jay L. Banner  and
Lawrence E. Mack
M. Jennifer Cooke*
Affiliation:
Jackson School of Geosciences, Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Geol Science Department, 1 University Station C1100, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Libby A. Stern
Affiliation:
Jackson School of Geosciences, Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Geol Science Department, 1 University Station C1100, Austin, TX 78712, USA FBI Laboratory Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit, Quantico, VA 22135, USA
Jay L. Banner
Affiliation:
Jackson School of Geosciences, Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Geol Science Department, 1 University Station C1100, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Lawrence E. Mack
Affiliation:
Jackson School of Geosciences, Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Geol Science Department, 1 University Station C1100, Austin, TX 78712, USA
*
⁎Corresponding author. Fax: +1 512 471 5766. E-mail addresses:mcooke@mail.utexas.edu (M.J. Cooke), LAStern@FBIAcademy.edu (L.A. Stern), banner@mail.utexas.edu (J.L. Banner), b.sambuco@mail.utexas.edu (L.E. Mack).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Relict soils provide insights into Quaternary soil formation and erosion on the Edwards Plateau of central Texas and into soil-forming processes in karst terranes. Late Quaternary climate-driven soil erosion produced a mosaic of thick and thin soils on the Edwards Plateau landscape. Thick soils on uplands of the Edwards Plateau are interpreted to be relicts of a formerly more extensive soil cover that was eroded during the late Pleistocene to middle Holocene. The relict, thick soils are silicate-rich and most commonly overlie the relatively silicate-poor Cretaceous Edwards Limestone, which supports the idea that the thick soils did not form from weathering of the underlying limestone. Other potential sources of silicates for the relict soils include dust, alluvial sediments, and the Del Rio Clay, a stratigraphically higher but locally eroded clay-rich unit. Here we investigate the geographic distribution, texture, clay-sized mineralogy, rare earth element geochemistry, and neodymium isotope composition of the relict soils. We have found that the relict, thick soils are deeply weathered soils that occur dominantly over the Edwards Limestone and have a high clay content and a neodymium isotope composition that is similar to that of the Del Rio Clay. Thus, we propose that in situ weathering of the Del Rio Clay, along with partial weathering of the upper portion of the underlying Edwards Limestone produced thick chert- and clay-rich soils over resistant limestone. In areas like the Edwards Plateau, where pure limestones are interbedded with clay-rich strata, the overlying clay-rich strata must be considered as a possible silicate source to soils on pure limestone bedrock.

Keywords

SoilRelictEdwards PlateauTexasLimestoneDel Rio ClayNeodymium
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 67 , Issue 2 , March 2007 , pp. 275 - 285
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.)

Footnotes

☆ Portions of this manuscript were previously published in the Ph.D. dissertation of the corresponding author (Cooke, 2005).

References

Awwiller, D.N., and Mack, L.E. Diagenetic modification of Sm–Nd model ages in Tertiary sandstones and shales, Texas Gulf Coast. Geology 19, (1991). 311–314.2.3.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Banner, J.L. Radiogenic isotopes: systematics and applications to earth surface processes and chemical stratigraphy. Earth-Science Reviews 65, (2004). 141–194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Banner, J.L., Hanson, G.N., and Meyers, W.J. Rare earth element and Nd isotopic variations in regionally extensive dolomites from the Burlington–Keokuk Formation (Mississippian): implications for REE mobility during carbonate diagenesis. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 58, (1988). 415–432.Google Scholar
Birkeland, P.W. Soils and Geomorphology. (1984). Oxford University Press, New York.Google Scholar
Blum, M.D., Toomey, R.S. III, Valastro, S. Jr. Fluvial response to late Quaternary climatic and environmental change, Edwards Plateau, Texas. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 108, (1994). 1–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Borg, L.E., and Banner, J.L. Neodymium and strontium isotopic constraints on soil sources in Barbados, West Indies. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 60, (1996). 4193–4206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braun, J., Pagel, M., Muller, J., Bilong, P., Michard, A., and Guillet, B. Cerium anomalies in lateritic profiles. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 54, (1990). 781–795.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Byrd, C.L. Origin and history of the Uvalde Gravel of central Texas. Baylor Geological Studies Bulletin 20, (1971). 48 pp Google Scholar
Cameron, K.L., Parker, D.F., and Sampson, D.E. Testing crustal melting models for the origin of flood rhyolites: a Nd–Pb–Sr isotopic study of the Tertiary Davis Mountains volcanic field, west Texas. Journal of Geophysical Research 101, (1996). 20407–20422.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cooke, M.J., (2005). Soil formation and erosion in central Texas: insights from relict soils and cave deposits. PhD.dissertation. The University of Texas, Austin.Google Scholar
Cooke, M.J., Stern, L.A., Banner, J.A., Mack, L.E., Stafford, T.W. Jr., Toomey, R.S. III Precise timing and rate of massive late Quaternary soil denudation. Geology 31, (2003). 853–856.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DePaolo, D.J. A neodymium and strontium isotopic study of the Mesozoic calc-alkaline granitic batholiths of the Sierra Nevada and Peninsular Ranges, California. Journal of Geophysical Research 86, (1981). 10470–10488.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dittemore, W.H. Jr., and Coburn, W.C. Soil Survey of Kerr County, Texas. (1986). USDA Soil Conservation Service in cooperation with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Driese, S.G., Jacobs, J.R., and Nordt, L.C. Comparison of modern and ancient vertisols developed on limestone in terms of their geochemistry and parent material. Sedimentary Geology 157, (2003). 49–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Durn, G., Ottner, F., and Slovenec, D. Mineralogical and geochemical indicators of the polygenetic nature of terra rossa in Istria, Croatia. Geoderma 91, (1999). 125–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Folk, R.L. The Petrology of Sedimentary Rocks. (1980). Hemphill Publishing Company, Austin, Texas.Google Scholar
Frolking, T.A., Jackson, M.L., and Knox, J.C. Origin of red clay over dolomite in the loess-covered Wisconsin driftless uplands. Soil Science Society of America Journal 47, (1983). 817–820.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Genova, N., Meloni, S., Oddone, M., and Melis, P. On the origin of some red soils from Sardinia (Italy): a neutron activation analysis investigation. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 249, (2001). 355–360.Google Scholar
Gill, T.E., Reynolds, R.L., and Zobeck, T.M. Measurements of current and historic settled dusts in west Texas. Proceedings of the 93rd Air and Waste Management Association Annual Conference and Exhibition, Salt Lake City, Utah (2000). paper no. 0175, 15 pp.Google Scholar
Golden, M.L., Gabriel, W.J., and Stevens, J.W. Soil Survey of Val Verde County, Texas. (1982). USDA Soil Conservation Service in cooperation with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and Val Verde County Commissioners Court, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Goldstein, S.L., O'Nions, R.K., and Hamilton, P.J. A Sm–Nd isotopic study of atmospheric dusts and particulates from major river systems. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 70, (1984). 221–236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hall, R.D. Stratigraphy and origin of surficial deposits in sinkholes in south-central Indiana. Geology 4, (1976). 507–509.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harpster, R.E., (1957). Geological application of soil mechanics to Del Rio Formation in Austin, Texas, area. MA thesis. The University of Texas, Austin.Google Scholar
Kruger, B.D. Jr., (1983). Analysis of the depositional environment of the Del Rio Clay, Grayson Formation, central Texas. BS thesis. Baylor University, Waco, Texas.Google Scholar
Laignel, B., Quesnel, F., and Meyer, R. Classification and origin of the clay-with-flints of the western Paris Basin (France). Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie 46, (2002). 69–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marsh, J.S. REE fractionation and Ce anomalies in weathered Karoo dolerite. Chemical Geology 90, (1991). 189–194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCulloch, M.T., and Wasserburg, G.J. Sm–Nd and Rb–Sr chronology of continental crust formation. Science 200, (1978). 1003–1011.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Middelburg, J.J., van der Weijden, C.H., and Woittiez, J.R.W. Chemical processes affecting the mobility of major, minor, and trace elements during the weathering of granitic rocks. Chemical Geology 68, (1988). 253–273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Olson, C.G., Huhe, R.V., and Mausbach, M.J. The terra rossa limestone contact phenomenon in karst, southern Indiana. Soil Science Society of America Journal 44, (1980). 1075–1079.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patchett, P.J., and Ruiz, J. Nd isotopes and the origin of Grenville-age rocks in Texas: implications for Proterozoic evolution of the United States Mid-continent region. Journal of Geology 97, (1989). 685–695.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Price, W.A. Reynosa problem of south Texas and origin of caliche. Bulletin of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists 17, (1933). 488–522.Google Scholar
Price, W.A. Correlation of Pliocene Ogallala caprock caliche with Reynosa caliche of Gulf Coastal Plain. Geological Society of America Bulletin 60, (1949). 1915 Google Scholar
Rabenhorst, M.C., and Wilding, L.P. Pedogenesis on the Edwards Plateau, Texas: I. Nature and continuity of parent material. Soil Science Society of America Journal 50, (1986). 678–687.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rabenhorst, M.C., Wilding, L.P., and Girdner, C.L. Airborne dusts in the Edwards Plateau region of central Texas. Soil Science Society of America Journal 48, (1984). 621–627.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reeves, C.C. Jr., and Reeves, J.A. The Ogallala Aquifer (of the Southern High Plains). (1996). Estacado Books, Lubbock, Texas.Google Scholar
Smith, D., Barnes, C., Shannon, W., Roback, R., and James, E. Petrogenesis of Mid-Proterozoic granitic magmas: examples from central and west Texas. Precambrian Research 85, (1997). 53–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Svensson, A., Biscaye, P.E., and Grousset, F.E. Characterization of late glacial continental dust in the Greenland Ice Core Project ice core. Journal of Geophysical Research 105, (2000). 4637–4656.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Toomey, R.S. III (1993). Late Pleistocene and Holocene faunal and environmental changes at Hall's Cave, Kerr County, Texas. PhD dissertation. The University of Texas, Austin.Google Scholar
Toomey, R.S. III, Blum, M.D., Valastro, S. Jr. Late Quaternary climates and environments of the Edwards Plateau, Texas. Global and Planetary Change 7, (1993). 299–320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weeks, A.W. Balcones, Luling, and Mexia fault zones in Texas. Bulletin of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists 29, (1945). 1733–1737.Google Scholar
Wittke, J.H., and Mack, L.E. OIB-like mantle source for continental alkaline rocks of the Balcones Province, Texas: trace element and isotopic evidence. The Journal of Geology 101, (1993). 333–344.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woodruff, C.M. Jr., and Abbott, P.L. Stream piracy and evolution of the Edwards Aquifer along the Balcones Escarpment, central Texas. Abbott, P.L., Woodruff, C.M. Jr. The Balcones Escarpment: Geology, Hydrology, Ecology and Social Development in Central Texas. (1986). Privately published, San Antonio, Texas. 77–89.Google Scholar
Woodruff, C.M. Jr., and Abbott, P.L. Coevolution of the Edwards Aquifer and landscapes of the Edwards Plateau region. Hovorka, S. Edwards Water Resources in Central Texas: Retrospective and Prospective. Proceedings of a Symposium Co-Hosted by the South Texas Geological Society and Austin Geological Society (2004). Available on CD-ROM Google Scholar
Young, K. Mesozoic history, Llano region. Barnes, V.E., Bell, W.C., Clabaugh, S.E., Cloud, P.E. Jr., McGehee, R.V., Rodda, P.U., and Young, K. Geology of the Llano Region and Austin Area: Field Excursion. (1972). The University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, Austin, Texas. 41–46. Guidebook no. 13 Google Scholar
Young, K. The Pleistocene terra rossa of central Texas. Abbott, P.L., Woodruff, C.M. Jr. The Balcones Escarpment: Geology, Hydrology, Ecology and Social Development in Central Texas. (1986). Privately Published, San Antonio, Texas. 63–73.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Cooke et al. Supplementary Material

Appendices

Download Cooke et al. Supplementary Material(File)
File 296.4 KB