Paleocene paleosols of the petrified forests of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota: a natural experiment in compound pedogenesis

The Petrified Forest Plateau of Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) in western North Dakota provides an excellent setting for exploring the influence of ancient, exhumed land surfaces upon modern ones. Water was abundant in the Plateau region, and during much of the time the landscapes were submerged. At least twice, large forests developed in soils forming on floodplain sediments. While it is clear that soils do respond to environments, it is also clear that the response may vary, depending upon the nature of the soil material and morphologies inherited. Here, the development of a gleyed morphology has proven largely irreversible. -from Authors