Weathering dynamics and pedogenesis of inceptisols developed from contrasting parent rocks in semi-arid landscapes

The objective of this study is twofold: firstly, to ascertain the weathering rates of inceptisol soils formed on different geological parent materials under identical climatic conditions; and secondly, to examine the effects of the parent material on soil formation. The present study was conducted with the objective of determining the geo-chemical, physico-chemical, primary and secondary mineralogical, and morphological characteristics of three soils formed on magmatic, metamorphic, and sedimentary parent rocks distributed around the Sandıklı district of Afyonkarahisar in Central Türkiye. This was achieved by conducting a detailed profile analysis, which also involved the calculation of weathering indices. In the concluding phase of the study, the impact of disparate parent rocks on soil genesis under analogous climatic conditions was elucidated. The process of soil formation was expressed numerically through the utilization of weathering indices, encompassing the chemical alteration index, the chemical weathering index, and the ratio of Base/R2O3. In this manner, mineralogical, physico-chemical, and geo-chemical properties were found to be parametrically related as measures of soil development. It is evident from the results obtained that the cambic horizon has been determined to be the subsoil horizon, and has been classified as Inceptisol. A comparison of the weathering rates of the soils revealed that all three soils, located on different parent materials, were in the initial stage of formation and were still under the influence of their parent materials in terms of their physico-chemical, geo-chemical, and mineralogical properties.