The 20th annual Symposium will be held on Thursday, April 23, 2009.

Chemical and Mineralogical Comparison of Soils Collected on Dolomite and Granodiorite Rock from the White-Inyo Mountain Range, California
Poster Session-Science Complex Atrium, 4:00 PM

Brittany  Myers,   '10 80
   Major: Geology
   Hometown: Northville, MI

Sponsor(s): Chris Van de Ven
Support: Geological Sciences Department Taylor Fund for Undergraduate Research

Abstract: 
This study compares differences in chemistry from soils taken underneath various plant species and from different parent rocks. The soils were collected from the White Mountains in California at elevations between 10,000 and 13,000 feet (3000 and 4000 meters) above sea level. The region is arid and located north of Death Valley along the California-Nevada border. It experiences dry summers; the majority of precipitation falls as snow in the winter. The soils studied are classified as aridosols, or arid-region soils, and were taken from areas with granodiorite and dolomite parent rock and from beneath sagebrush (Artemisia tridentada), mountain mahogany (Cerocarpus ledifolius), bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva), and in open space. Soil samples were ground to a fine powder, melted and fused into a glass and analyzed by x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer for chemical compounds and elements. Results showed higher amounts of calcium carbonate, magnesium oxide, and manganese in soils from the dolomite and aluminum oxide, nickel, silica, and potassium in soils from the granodiorite. Not many differences were found when comparing differences in vegetative cover, but for some chemicals, such as barium, manganese, and calcium, sagebrush had slightly lower values than mountain mahogany and bristlecone pines. Other chemicals showed no significant or consistent differences between rock types. These outcomes suggest that the parent rock type on which the soil is formed has more influence on the composition of the soil than the vegetation, although it is also likely that plant species have greater affects on elements like carbon and nitrogen that will be analyzed in the near future.

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