64 Emerging Voices in Soil and Paleosol Science (Posters)

This session promotes research from students at all levels that are investigating soils and paleosols. We invite submissions from field, laboratory, and modeling studies that leverage or examine pedogenic processes and archives, from deep-time through modern systems.

Sunday, 19 October 2025
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
HBGCC, Hall 1

MAPPING, DESCRIPTION AND CORRELATION OF SOIL AND SEDIMENT IN LAFAYETTE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI, USA

Paper number: 64-10
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:30 AM – 8:30 AM

Authors

Abstract

This study combines geospatial mapping, mineralogical characterization, and elemental geochemistry to analyze soils and sediments in Lafayette County, MS, focusing on both vertical and lateral compositional variability. We used GIS, satellite imagery, and aerial photography to create high-resolution maps of soil and sediment distributions, supported by extensive coring, field descriptions, and laboratory analyses.

A detailed stratigraphic column was constructed for both the Goodwin Creek Monitoring Well (GCMW) and the Univ. of MS Field Station (UMFS) sites, integrating core descriptions with observed textural and color variations. These columns highlight key lithologic transitions, such as the shift from sand-dominated units to clay-rich horizons at UMFS, which coincide with mineralogical changes detected by X-ray diffraction. This stratigraphic framework provides the basis for interpreting geochemical trends with depth and understanding the depositional and post-depositional processes shaping these soils.

XRD data reveal that the GCMW site is dominated by quartz (>80%) across the entire profile, with minor muscovite and plagioclase (albite and anorthite) in the upper 2–5 ft, transitioning to nearly pure quartz layers below ~10 ft. (UMFS) site, however, shows a transition from quartz-rich topsoil (92–100%) to clay-rich horizons (55–72.5 ft) where kaolinite (~12.6%) and muscovite (~16.6%) significantly increase. A distinct boundary near 101 ft is marked by quartz depletion (29%) and muscovite enrichment (56%), indicating a major lithologic shift.

Elemental profiles from the UMFS site (Si, Al, Fe, K, Ca, Mg, and trace elements) reveal strong depth-dependent trends that correspond with mineralogical transitions. Elevated Al and Fe concentrations align with clay-rich horizons, while K peaks coincide with muscovite-rich layers. Ca and Mg remain minimal throughout, suggesting limited carbonate or mafic input.

This integrated approach, combining GIS mapping, XRD mineralogy, and elemental data, improves understanding of soil-sediment relationships, depositional history, and weathering within the Mississippi Embayment, with implications for land-use planning, groundwater studies, and environmental management.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-414169

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