Relationships between geochemistry of basal till and chemistry of surface soil at forested sites in Finland

Concentrations of several elements extractable with BaCl2 and acid ammonium acetate (pH 4.65) were measured in the organic and 4 mineral soil layers on the national forest inventory plots of the Finnish Forest Research Institute. The soil data also includes total concentrations of elements in the organic layer and site and soil physical characteristics. Data were compared with the aqua regia extractable element concentrations measured in the nationwide regional till geochemical mapping carried out by the Geological Survey of Finland. Correlations between concentrations in surface soil and underlying basal till were generally highest for K, Mg, Mn, P and Zn; in the organic layer and till they were highest for Cr and Cu. The strength of these correlations did not increase regularly from surface to deeper soil layers. All soil base cations with the exception of Ca, which is of relatively low solubility, were well correlated. The elements Zn, K, P, Al and Mn in till were the most reliable indicators of surface soil chemistry. Fuzzy clustering showed that the correlation between element concentrations in basal till and the two uppermost layers of mineral soil was better within areas of distinct till geochemistry, such as the schist belts in southwestern Finland, the Lake Ladoga–Bothnian Bay zone and the Kuusamo schist belt. Surface soil chemical variables were clearly better in discriminating fertility classes of forest sites than were element concentrations in basal till. The independent ability of till geochemistry to distinguish these productivity classes and to explain surface soil fertility was nevertheless demonstrated.