Historical weathering based on chemical analyses of two spodosols in Southern Sweden

Chemical weathering losses were calculated for two conifer stands in relation to ongoing studies on liming effects and ash amendments on chemical status, soil solution chemistry and soil genesis. Weathering losses were based on elemental depletion trends in soil profiles since deglaciation and exposure to the weathering environment. Gradients in total geochemical composition were assumed to reflect alteration over time. Study sites were Horröd and Hasslöv in southern Sweden. Both Horröd and Hasslöv sites are located on sandy loamy Weichselian till at an altitude of 85 and 190 m a.s.l., respectively. Aliquots from volume determined samples from a number of soil levels were fused with lithium metaborate, dissolved in nitric acid, and analysed by ICP-AES. Results indicated highest cumulative weathering losses at Hasslöv. The weathering loses for the elements are in the following order: Si>Al>K>Na>Ca>Mg. Total annual losses for Ca+Mg+K+Na, expressed in mmol charge per m2 and year, amounted to c. 28 and 58 at Horröd and Hasslöv, respectively. Variations between study sites could not be explained by diofferences in bulk density, geochemistry or mineralogy. The accumulated weathering losses since deglaciation were larger in the uppermost 15 cm than in deeper B horizons for most elements studied