ABSTRACT
The qualitative concept of the soil chronosequence had its foundation in the 19th-century Russian school of pedology. Soil sampling was conducted on a horizon basis following a procedure modified from that of Hodgson. The visually best-developed profile on each ridge was sampled, to avoid unrepresentative cases of limited soil development owing to excessive exposure as on moraine crests, or impeded drainage and late-lying snow-patch influences as on the lower slopes. A study of weathering within and between sand and silt fractions in Norwegian soils using heavy mineral ratios suggested very limited weathering, although perhaps masked by the inherent mineralogical variability of the till parent materials. The study area is approximately 100–200 km from the west coast of southern Norway. Its glacial geomorphology includes the Jostedalsbreen ice cap, with its associated outlet valley glaciers, to the west, and the Jotunheimen mountain range to the east, characterised by a more local distribution of niche, cirque and valley glaciers.
