Soil Development from Calcareous Glacial Material in Eastern Nebraska during Seventy‐five Years

O matter and nitrogen may accumulate rather rapidly during soil development from unconsolidated parent materials. This has been brought out by studies reviewed by Jenny (4), by the results reported by Hardy and Rodrigues (3), and by the results of Chandler (2). Thorp (8) points out that the 'effect of time on soil formation is conditioned by climate and vegetation as well as by the kind of parent material. In the spring of 1946, a shallow soil profile resembling a Steinauer soil was observed near Lincoln, Neb., on the spoil bank of a railway cut which had been made in 1871. The cut was approximately 5 feet deep adjacent to the location where soil samples were taken. Both the slope and the relief of the spoil bank were such as to insure adequate surface drainage and to prevent the deposition of material by water from •other areas. The spoil bank covered a moderately mature soil to a depth of 20 inches. The buried soil has morphological characteristics similar to the Burchard soils. Steinauer soils are lithosols and Burchard soils are nearly mature soils developed from calcareous drift in the Prairie soil zone. The vegetation present on the site consisted largely of big and little bluestems with other grasses and some leguminous and nonleguminous forbs. There was no evidence of any recent disturbance of the vegetation. From a careful examination of the soil, it seemed evident that approximately 6 inches of A horizon had developed during a period of 75 years from calcareous glacial material thrown up in the spoil bank. It is the purpose of this paper to report the results obtained from determinations of organic matter, nitrogen, carbonate, pH, clay, and volume weight on samples taken from both the young soil and the buried soil profiles.