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Electron Probe Microanalysis of Calcite Grains Containing Phosphorus in Soil
Author(s) -
Qureshi R. H.,
Jenkins D. A.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1978.03615995004200050008x
Subject(s) - calcite , calcareous , microanalysis , pedogenesis , phosphorus , geology , mineralogy , foraminifera , calcium carbonate , environmental chemistry , chemistry , geochemistry , soil water , soil science , paleontology , oceanography , organic chemistry , benthic zone
Calcite, comprising both clastic sand‐sized grains and fossil foraminifera inherited from a marine Cretaceous (“Gault”) clay, has been isolated from a haplaquept (“gleyic brown calcareous earth”) in the United Kingdom and shown by wet chemical analysis to contain an average of 0.3% phosphorus. Electron probe microanalysis indicates that this phosphorus is uniformly distributed within the calcite rather than concentrated as discrete calcium phosphates, and it is concluded that it was biogenic/diagenic rather than pedogenic in origin. Such sources constitute 50–80% of the total soil phosphorus and would be relatively available in the upper horizons of the profile.