SSSAJ Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education
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Published in Soil Sci Soc Am J 41:1194-1201 (1977)
© 1977 Soil Science Society of America
677 S. Segoe Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA
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Mineralogy of Soils Developed on Alluvium in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (India)1

P. S. Sidhu and R. J. Gilkes2

ABSTRACT

X-ray diffraction, electron microscopic, and petrographic techniques have been employed to study the mineralogy of four soils developed on the Indo-Gangetic alluvium in northwestern India. Sand and silt fractions are dominated by primary quartz. Other minerals present in these fractions include muscovite, plagioclase and alkali feldspars, amphibole, biotite, and chlorite. Illite, chlorite, and kaolinite have been identified in the clay fraction of each soil with smectite being present in one soil. Both muscovite and illite belong to the dioctahedral 2M1 polymorph, whereas chlorite is trioctahedral. Quartz and feldspar grains appear to be unaltered and very angular. Although the studied soils show morphological and physico-chemical evidence of pedogenesis, mineral alteration has been minimal. The mineralogy of all the soils is very similar and no changes in the mineralogical make-up with depth in a particular pedon have been observed. Soil mineralogy can be related to the mineralogy of rocks in the source areas which contributed sediments. It is considered that insignificant post depositional weathering of sediments has occurred.

NOTES

1 Contribution from the Dep. of Soil Sci. and Plant Nutr., Univ. of Western Australia, Nedlands 6009, Australia.

2 Graduate Student and Senior Lecturer, respectively.

Received for publication May 4, 1977. Accepted for publication July 22, 1977.






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Copyright © 1977 by the Soil Science Society of America.