MICROSCOPY AND ELECTRON MICROPROBE ANALYSIS OF SOME IRON–MANGANESE PANS FROM NEWFOUNDLAND

A number of thin iron–manganese pans from soils with peaty surface horizons have been examined with a light microscope and electron microprobe analyzer. The results show that: (1) concentrations of Fe and Mn (as oxides, hydroxides, or both) occur distinctly separated from each other even where close...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Journal of Soil Science
Main Authors: BREWER, R., PROTZ, R., McKEAGUE, J. A.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1973
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.4141/cjss73-052
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.4141/cjss73-052
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Summary:A number of thin iron–manganese pans from soils with peaty surface horizons have been examined with a light microscope and electron microprobe analyzer. The results show that: (1) concentrations of Fe and Mn (as oxides, hydroxides, or both) occur distinctly separated from each other even where closely associated, i.e., every unit analyzed was dominantly either Mn or Fe with little contamination by the other; (2) Mn concentrations always increase in proportion to Fe with increasing depth in the pans; generally Mn concentrations underlie Fe concentrations; (3) at least in these pans, the various kinds of Fe and Mn concentrations can be distinguished optically by using both transmitted and reflected light characteristics.