Geochemistry of Holocene and late Pleistocene soils in the Rouge River and Scarborough Bluffs areas,South-Central Ontario,Canada

Concentrations of major, minor and trace elements were measured in four soil profiles from south-central Ontario. The mean concentration values reported are probably representative of elemental levels in soils formed from sediments reworked by lacustrine and fluvial processes and weathered over the last 12 000 years. The older soils in the sequence (R12, R15 and BRIM1) show declining Na, K, and Al, mainly from Ca dilution, especially in the lower horizons. Iron and Mg levels were not affected by the variations in the Ca concentrations. Arsenic, Br, and Sb concentrations did not increase appreciably in surface A horizons, indicating no measurable airfall influx of industrial pollutants. The relative increase in Mn/Al in the lower horizons of the older soils may be related to leaching by soil or ground water movement.