Ground-Penetrating Radar Study of Ortstein Continuity

in some Michigan Haplaquods

D. L. Mokma, R. J. Schaetzl, J. A. Doolittle

and E. P. Johnson

Continuity of ortstein affects many agricultural and urban land uses. This study was conducted to determine the utility of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) in studying ortstein continuity. The GPR data were compared with those collected by conventional field techniques. The ortstein is generally strongly cemented and continuous in an area mapped as Saugatuck soils (sandy, mixed, mesic, ortstein, Aeric Haplaquods), and appeared to occupy 75 to 100% of each pedon. Tongues of E horizons and weakly cemented or noncemented materials in the ortstein horizon were easily identified by GPR. Such breaks in the ortstein are difficult to locate with conventional field techniques. These results demonstrate that GPR is useful in determining ortstein continuity.