Sustainable forestry and iron compounds in karstic soils: qualitative and semi-quantitative results focused on the occurrence of Fe-compounds on mineral particles

Abstract

Relic karstic soils in nine localities in the Dinaric Karst in Slovenia, five localities in the Moravian Karst and four localities in the Bohemian Karst were sampled for soil scientific, mineralogical and petrological studies focused on the presentation of descriptive aspects of particular iron compounds. The macroscopy and microscopy of Fe2+ and Fe3+ compounds were determined and an interpretation of these data was performed aimed at describing sources and their palaeotransports. The presented results show that the studied karstic soils have a heterogeneous petrographical and mineralogical composition when, depending on circumstances, hematite does not dominate and goethite prevails over it or it is an opposite. Results from the chosen methods reinforce sources of the new materials as the crucial factor for the studied karstic soils.

Keywords

• iron oxides
• iron hydroxides
• karstic soils
• soil formation in karsts