Comparación de los elementos de los modelos seleccionados

place and is of considerable age. This profile lacks charcoal.

Veins of calcium carbonate

Nodules of calcium carbonate

Plate 4.20 Site C7 Amygdalies double fill - Photo shows soil at base of section (reddish brown) formed on fine sandstone has been buried by colluvial and slope wash material in center (light greyish brown) and then this is capped by soil-like colluvium in upper photo. Close-up view of basal soil can be seen in Plate 4.19

Slope wash deposits

Basal soil profile with strong structure and precipitated carbonate nodules (1-2 cm dia.) in growth position

Colluvial, soil-like deposits

4.0 – 4.5 m 3Ck Calcium carbonate deposits in cracks and joints of weathered mudstone; distinct hard precipitated 10-20 mm calcium carbonate nodules in growth position within the weathered bedrock.

The C7 section indicates a landscape with mature calcareous brown soils formed on mudstone were able to develop on what must have been relatively stable slopes of the catchment. The degree of soil development is indicated by the strong prismatic structure and the degree of leaching of pedogenic carbonate in the profile and the

formation of 10-20 mm sized calcium carbonate nodules and veins in situ within the

bedrock at the base of the soil. This has been followed by profile truncation and buried with up to 1.6 m of slope wash material. This indicates this site was in the transitional zone (Butler 1959) and acted as a conduit for sediment transport to lower slopes with minor erosion occurring at the site. Following this the section was buried by a thick (2m), homogenous, soil-like colluvium derived from adjacent slopes still carrying a soil cover.

It is unfortunate that insufficient charcoal could be collected from this site as radiocarbon dating would have provided useful information on the timing of these events. Not withstanding this the key information provided by this site is the

observation that well-developed soils did occur on some parts of the valley sides prior to a phase of active erosion and deposition of slope wash. This was followed by burial of the site with soil-like colluvium.

Site C10 Buried brown soil on bedrock above Tsifliki

A further example of a well-developed soil profile (C10) on the mid slopes of the valley occurs on the road leading from Tsifliki to the village of Amygdalies. The site

is at and latitude 40.14170 N and longitude 21.36170 E (see Figure 4.16 and Plates

4.22 – 4.23). The section reveals a dark brown soil formed on the bedrock that has been buried by ashy colluvium, slope wash and more recent calcareous colluvium. The site shows a series of colluvial fills occur separated by a thin slope wash deposit. The site demonstrates important processes acting on some slopes in the catchment. The whole section is now being re-incised by a small gully.

Field stratigraphy

Listed below is the thickness of the horizons measured at their thickest exposed part, which is not necessarily the maximum thickness.

1.0 m Greyish brown, calcareous, silty clay loam, colluvium with clear stone-

line marking the base of unit, few pot sherds embedded in stone-line

1.2 m Light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3), silty clay loam, soil-like colluvium.

0.2 m White (5Y 8/1), fine sandy and silty slope wash, bedding evident in

section, indicates water transported and sorted.

0.4 m Light grey (5 Y 7/2), silty clay loam, soil-like colluvial which contains

small amounts of charcoal.

0.9 m Reddish brown (5YR 5/4), silty light clay, strongly developed angular

blocky structure, no stones, profile overlies mudstone-siltstone bedrock, common sub-angular 20 – 60 mm stones of sandstone.

R Bedrock of bedded fine sandstone and mudstone.

Summary of site

The whole section lies in a concave competent of the slope, i.e., a channel-depression (see Figure 4.15). A well-structured soil has developed on the Tertiary bedrock on the valley slopes. There is no distinctive calcareous subsoil and the sub-angular coarse fragments in this soil profile suggest it may be partly colluvial in origin. This soil has then been capped by colluvium containing coarse fragments set in silty clay loam matrix. This colluvial material has been covered by fine textured slope wash. The last phase of deposition has involved the deposition of a further 2.2 m of colluvial materials deposited in two phases. The nature of the filling of this slope depression can be best shown in Plate 4.23 and Figure 4.16. This plate shows how the concave slope depression has acted as a pathway for colluvia and slope wash to move from the upper plateau and hill slopes to the lower terrace and strath surfaces in the catchment. The site provides an excellent example of two key types of slope deposit – one water derived silty-sandy slope wash and the second creep transported soil colluvium.

Discussion

This chapter has provided an introduction to the nature of the catchment and descriptions of some of the older soil materials on the mid and upper valley slopes. The catchment divide is the most logical place to find the oldest soil materials in the

Figure 4.16 Site C10 near Tsifliki in the upper catchment, contour interval is 4m. The site is currently being re-incised by a small gully as indicated.

Plate 4.22 Site C10 shows well developed soil profile developed on bedrock, capped by