Glossic Horizon - Soil Geography of the USA: A Diagnostic-Horizon Approach - page 171

Table 16.3 Factors influencing the development of the glossic horizon
Area Factor References

Climate

France, Italy,
Russia

Blockage of pores from lessivage leads
to degradation of upper argillic
polygenesis from climate change

Caillier et al. ( 1985 ), Jamagne
et al. ( 1984 ), Busacca and
Cremaschi ( 1998 ) and
Rusakov and Sedov ( 2012 )

E. Rocky Mtns.,
USA

Climate change accompanied by vege-
tation change degrades argillic

Solleiro-Rebolledo et al. ( 2003 )
and Bockheim ( 2012 )

Organisms

France Agricultural drainage leads to argillic

degradation

Cornu et al. ( 2007 ) and Montagne
et al. ( 2007 , 2008 )

Relief

TN, MS, LA Changes in redox conditions lead to

degradation of argillic

Lindbo et al. ( 2000 )

Parent material
UT, TN, MS, LA,
Italy, E. Rocky
Mtns., USA

Lithologic discontinuities affect water
movement

Jalalian and Southard ( 1986 ) and
Lindbo et al. ( 1997 ),
Busacca and Cremaschi ( 1998 )
and Bockheim ( 2012 )

Time

Norway 4600-6200 yrs required to form

“albeluvic tongues”

Sauer et al. ( 2009 )

glossic horizon. Paleosols containing glossic horizons have played an important
role in determining past climate change (Solleiro-Rebolledo et al. 2003 ; Rusakov
et al. 2007 ; Rusakov and Sedov 2012 ).

16.7 Summary

The glossic horizon is defined as tonguing resulting from degradation of an argillic
horizon in which clay and free iron oxides are removed. The glossic horizon is
described as an E/Bt, Bt/E, or both. The Bt portion of the glossic horizon is
invariably one or two textural classes finer than the E portion, and the E and Bt
portions are comparable to the E horizon above and the Bt horizon below. There are
549 soil series in glossic categories of ST; these soils are distributed in four orders:
the Alfisols, Aridisols, Mollisols, and Ultisols. Soils with glossic horizon tend to be
in silty and loamy particle-size classes.
Soils with a glossic horizon are concentrated in three areas, including the Front
Range of the Rocky Mountains; immediately north of the “tension zone” in WI,
MN, and MI; and on loess-covered Pleistocene terraces in the southern Mississippi
River Valley-Gulf Coast area of LA and TX. Soils with a glossic horizon
may reflect a change in climate and vegetation, whereby there is a blockage of
pores from lessivage that leads to a degradation of the upper argillic horizon.