Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
3.9
2.5
Journals
Minerals
Special Issues
Soil Mineralogy on Ecosystem Functioning
share announcement

Soil Mineralogy on Ecosystem Functioning

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 November 2023) | Viewed by 9642

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Juan Manuel Martín-García

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Campus Cartuja, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Interests: soil mineral provenance; clay minerals; soil mica; soil quartz; geochemistry; lanthanides (rare earth elements); aeolian mineral particles; soil iron oxides
Dr. Rafael Delgado

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Campus Cartuja, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Interests: soil mineral identification; clay minerals; soil mica; SEM analysis; soil quartz; geochemistry; lanthanides (rare earth elements); aeolian mineral particles; soil biominerals
Dr. Julio Calero

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department Geology, Experimental Sciences Faculty, Campus Las Lagunilla, University of Jaen, 23071 Jaen, Spain
Interests: soil clays; mineral surfaces; clay-organic matter interaction; SEM analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In our Special Edition, "Soil Mineralogy on Ecosystem Functioning", the journal Minerals will exhibit articles on the mineral content of soil rather than rocks or stones. We are inviting mineralogists, geochemists, and other specialists to make contributions in order to achieve a broader understanding of the characterization, origin, and evolution of minerals in soils, as well as the role that those minerals play within their functioning ecosystem.

The composition of soil minerals depends on several factors, and forms following a long process. Rocks and their constituent minerals are extremely hard, compact, insufficiently porous, and do not have enough surface reactivity in their early state. These rocks were not propitious to life on the surface of our planet Earth. Many of these rocks and their minerals were formed underground in very different conditions of pressure, temperature, humidity, and oxygen content to those on the surface. When exposed to the surface, these rock minerals suffered several transformations.

The formation of soils was triggered by these changes in environmental conditions. The rhombic network of olivine minerals—for instance, forsterite Mg2SiO4, which is formed at 1900 °C—crumbled on the Earth's surface. This triggered the release of all of its atoms into their new medium. Other minerals, such as those of the phyllosilicate group—muscovite (Si3Al)Al2O10(OH)2K and the monoclinic network—are able to readapt their structure and composition. This process causes the loss of their mineral identity as they transform into other minerals according to their new environment. Other minerals, such as quartz (SiO2; trigonal network) are more resistant to alteration and can survive for millions of years under soil conditions. Additionally, even the formation of new minerals (or the regrowth of existing minerals) in the soil from released atoms and ions, and even neoformation, induced by soil microorganisms is possible. 

Soils make life on Earth possible and are essential to our survival. We could say that in the soil, also known as the pedosphere, the lithosphere converges with hydrosphere and atmosphere, and this is what makes our biosphere viable. In the soil medium, the solid fraction is made up of 95% inorganic matter: essentially minerals. Their particles have different sizes and organizations, which generate aggregates that sponge the original compact material of the rocks. The pores that were subsequently formed permit the exchange of gases (atmosphere) and liquids (hydrosphere). This way, their surface area increases and various different reactions are facilitated. This is the primal connection between soil and life.

Life still has a very long way to go. At this stage, some minerals are toxic in their morphology and composition. Although certain microorganisms and plants evolved to coexist with their toxins, these seriously affect, directly or indirectly, the health of living organisms, such as animals and human beings.

Therefore, the study of soil minerals is relevant to our understanding of how ecosystems work. Their identification techniques are often specific. The geochemistry of soil minerals is part of the cycles of nutrients and toxic elements. Their crystallochemistry (lattice parameters, crystalline defects, polytypism, amongst others) is their adaptive response to the conditions of their environment. Their surface reactivity plays a crucial role in physical fertility by regulating the processes of flocculation/dispersion that control the formation of soil aggregates as well as water retention on their surface. Surface reactivity is also pivotal in analyzing chemical fertility, which controls the natural reserve of nutrients, retaining and exchanging ions with the environment. It is also pivotal for biological fertility through mineral–microorganism interactions. Additionally, even their superficial morphology (idiomorph/xenomorph) or their scars (superficial features) are the result of the action of supergenic processes that use the surface of the mineral grain as a parchment to write their history.

All of the above renders the study of soil minerals through different analytical techniques (XRD; HRTEM; VPSEM; SEM-CL; SEM-EDX; EMPA; LA-ICPms) essential for our greater understanding of soil characteristics, origins and development over time and under diverse environmental conditions in different locations on Earth. These techniques open up to areas of research that constitute an exciting prospect for this particular field.

We are looking forward to receiving the partial or final results of your papers submitted to this Special Issue for consideration. If published, your important research will reach out to a wider audience and earn greater exposure to many relevant stakeholders.

Prof. Dr. Juan Manuel Martín-García
Dr. Rafael Delgado
Dr. Julio Calero
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mineral biogeochemistry
  • biogeochemical cycles and soil minerals
  • soil minerals in the nutrient cycles
  • soil mineralogy and fertility
  • clay minerals
  • soil minerals and soil properties
  • soil minerals and soil processes
  • soil mineral provenance
  • soil minerals as fingerprints for supergenic processes
  • aeolian mineral particles
  • mineral geochronology
  • weathering
  • soil minerals and human health
  • soil mineral identification
  • soil mineral surface
  • geochemistry
  • soil minerals and microorganisms
  • soil biominerals
  • soil mineral genesis
  • advances in soil mineralogy
  • electron microscopy of soil minerals

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 7765 KiB  
Article
Normative Mineralogy of 1170 Soil Profiles across Canada
by Margot Aldis, Maximilian Posch and Julian Aherne
Minerals 2023, 13(4), 544; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13040544 - 12 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1136
Abstract
Weathering of soil minerals provides base cations that buffer against acidity, and nutrients that support plant growth. In general, direct observations of soil minerals are rare; however, their abundance can be determined indirectly through soil geochemistry using normative-calculation procedures. This study compiled a [...] Read more.
Weathering of soil minerals provides base cations that buffer against acidity, and nutrients that support plant growth. In general, direct observations of soil minerals are rare; however, their abundance can be determined indirectly through soil geochemistry using normative-calculation procedures. This study compiled a data set of major oxide content from published and archived soil geochemical observations for 1170 sites across Canada (averaged over the soil profile [A, B, and C horizons], weighted by depth and bulk density to a maximum depth of 50 cm). Quantitative soil mineralogy (wt%) was systematically determined at each site using the normative method, ‘Analysis to Mineralogy’ (A2M); the efficacy of the approach was evaluated by comparison to X-ray Diffraction (XRD) mineralogy available for a subset of the study sites. At these sites, predicted A2M mineralogy was significantly related to estimated XRD, showing a strong linear relationship for plagioclase, quartz, and K-feldspar, and a moderate linear relationship for chlorite and muscovite. Further, the predicted A2M plagioclase content was almost identical to the estimated XRD soil mineralogy, showing no statistical difference. The Canada-wide predicted quantitative soil mineralogy was consistent with the underlying bedrock geology, such as in north-western Saskatchewan and north-eastern Alberta, which had high amounts of quartz due to the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. Other soil minerals (plagioclase, potassium feldspar, chlorite, and muscovite) varied greatly in response to changing bedrock geology across Canada. Normative approaches, such as A2M, provide a reliable approach for national-scale determination of quantitative soil mineralogy, which is essential for the assessment of soil weathering rates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Mineralogy on Ecosystem Functioning)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 2059 KiB  
Article
Different Quartz Varieties Characterized by Proximal Sensing and Their Relation to Soil Attributes
by Sérgio Henrique Godinho Silva, Diego Ribeiro, Thaís Santos Branco Dijair, Fernanda Magno Silva, Anita Fernanda dos Santos Teixeira, Renata Andrade, Marcelo Mancini, Luiz Roberto Guimarães Guilherme and Nilton Curi
Minerals 2023, 13(4), 529; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13040529 - 09 Apr 2023
Viewed by 2700
Abstract
Quartz is one of the most common minerals in soils, mostly present in sand and silt fractions. Although quartz is basically formed of SiO2, other elements can be easily detected and assessed nowadays using a portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) [...] Read more.
Quartz is one of the most common minerals in soils, mostly present in sand and silt fractions. Although quartz is basically formed of SiO2, other elements can be easily detected and assessed nowadays using a portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometer. Our study aims to evaluate the chemical composition of different quartz varieties, identifying their main elements, and relating them to soil attributes. Six quartz varieties (hyaline, amethyst, milky, rose, smoky, and ferriferous) were analyzed via pXRF and 13 oxides/trace elements were identified and used for quartz discrimination (Al2O3, CaO, P2O5, SiO2, Cl, Cr, Fe, K2O, Mn, Rb, S, Ti, and V). Hyaline quartz was characterized by the highest SiO2 and the lowest contents of other elements. Al2O3 was the second-highest compound present in all varieties of quartz, reaching 21,547 mg kg−1 in the smoky variety. S, P2O5, Cl, SiO2, and K2O were the main components determined by Random Forest algorithm for discriminating quartz varieties. Some elements detected may serve as a reserve of nutrients to plants to be released in soils along weathering, depending on quartz particle size, soil texture, leaching, and associated attributes. pXRF enhanced the information on chemical characterization of quartz varieties, without the generation of chemical pollutants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Mineralogy on Ecosystem Functioning)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 3517 KiB  
Article
Role of Clay Mineralogy in the Stabilization of Soil Organic Carbon in Olive Groves under Contrasted Soil Management
by Julio Calero, Roberto García-Ruiz, Milagros Torrús-Castillo, José L. Vicente-Vicente and Juan M. Martín-García
Minerals 2023, 13(1), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13010060 - 29 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1610
Abstract
Cropland soils are key systems in global carbon budgets due to their high carbon-sequestration potential. It is widely accepted that clays are one of the soil components that have a significant effect on the stabilisation of soil organic carbon (SOC), owing to its [...] Read more.
Cropland soils are key systems in global carbon budgets due to their high carbon-sequestration potential. It is widely accepted that clays are one of the soil components that have a significant effect on the stabilisation of soil organic carbon (SOC), owing to its surface interactions with organic molecules. However, the identification of the direct effects of clays on SOC stabilization is complicated, mainly due to the difficulty of accurately characterizing the mineralogy of clays, especially phyllosilicates. In this study, the relationships between soil phyllosilicates and functional SOC pools in woodlands and comparable olive groves, under two contrasting management systems (bare soils versus soil under cover crops) and parent materials (calcareous and siliceous), were explored. The total mineralogy of soil and clay fractions and the soil-clay assemblages were analysed through the decomposition of X-ray diffraction patterns, and were then related to four SOC pools. Total and unprotected SOC was higher in olive groves under cover crops, and this was true independent of the parent material, proving the importance of herbaceous covers in SOC sequestration in woody crops. Some significant correlations between clay minerals and SOC fractions were found. Interestingly, mixed-layer content was correlated with the biochemically protected SOC fraction (r = 0.810, p < 0.05), and this was so even when the partial correlation coefficient was calculated (r = 0.761, p < 0.05). According to the partial correlation networks (PCN), four separated clusters of variables were obtained, which joined into only one at fdr < 0.25. The PCNs supported the direct correlation between mixed-layer content, especially those rich in smectite, and the biochemically protected SOC fraction, suggesting that smectite layers may stabilize organic molecules. Since potassium enrichment is higher in the rooted layers of woodland and soils under cover crops, and this increase is related to the collapse of swelling layers, these soils were poorer in smectite phases than the bare soils. This also would explain why the biochemically protected SOC was more abundant in the latter. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Mineralogy on Ecosystem Functioning)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 2086 KiB  
Article
Multivariate Analysis with XRD Data as a Fingerprinting Technique to Study Burned Soils
by Débora R. Rocha, Xavier Barber, Manuel M. Jordán-Vidal, Alexandre Urbano, Fábio L. Melquiades, Edivaldo L. Thomaz and Jorge Mataix-Solera
Minerals 2022, 12(11), 1402; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12111402 - 02 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1359
Abstract
Fire is a natural process with recognized recurrence. However, ongoing climate change and human activities are causing some disturbances in their natural regimes in most ecosystems. It is important to improve the methodologies used to evaluate the fire-induced changes in soils. This study [...] Read more.
Fire is a natural process with recognized recurrence. However, ongoing climate change and human activities are causing some disturbances in their natural regimes in most ecosystems. It is important to improve the methodologies used to evaluate the fire-induced changes in soils. This study aims at investigating the potential of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique to be used as a fingerprinting technique for burned soils. Multivariate analysis was employed to analyze the XRD data. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) and local Partial Least Squares (PLS-2) models were performed. The soil samples are classified as Ferralsols and were collected from an Amazon region, Brazil, from forests, pastures and a slash-and-burn area. The studied temperatures ranged between 25 and 800 °C. Major differences were found for gibbsite, goethite and kaolinite contents due to dehydration. PLS-2 analysis presented better results than HCA as it provided information concerning the two features of the investigated soils, the collection site and the temperature. Therefore, it was possible to characterize soils from different sites and soils heated at different temperatures by using XRD data with multivariate analysis. Such methodology provided important information that may be used in areas with these environmental and soil conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Mineralogy on Ecosystem Functioning)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 3881 KiB  
Article
Mineralogical and Geochemical Implications of Weathering Processes Responsible for Soil Generation in Mănăila Alpine Area (Tulgheş 3 Unit—Eastern Carpathians)
by Doina Smaranda Sirbu-Radasanu, Ramona Huzum, Delia-Georgeta Dumitraş and Cristina Oana Stan
Minerals 2022, 12(9), 1161; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12091161 - 14 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1871
Abstract
In the Mănăila alpine area, the soil layer developed in situ on top of the sericite-schists, which belong to the Tulghes 3 metamorphic unit. The aim of the present work was to determine the degree of soil formation using both mineralogical and geochemical [...] Read more.
In the Mănăila alpine area, the soil layer developed in situ on top of the sericite-schists, which belong to the Tulghes 3 metamorphic unit. The aim of the present work was to determine the degree of soil formation using both mineralogical and geochemical exploration methods. XRD, FTIR and SEM-EDS results showed that the soil constituents were dioctahedral 2:1 minerals, quartz, chlorite, Na-feldspar, rutire and ilmenite. Mainly illite and secondarily mixed-layer minerals were considered to be the most likely minerals resulting from the transformation of sericite and chlorite under acidic alpine conditions. Geochemical modeling inferred the dominance of illite and the presence of smectite as a chlorite alteration product. The weathering indices supported the moderate stage of the soil development agreeing with mineralogical observations. Because of the abundance of sericite and quartz in the parent material, the soil formation was retarded, and its present composition is still related to the bedrocks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Mineralogy on Ecosystem Functioning)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-5
Back to TopTop