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Rubidium measured by XRF as a predictor of soil particle size in limestone and siliceous parent materials
Croffie, Maame E. T. Williams, Paul N. Fenton, Owen Fenelon, Anna Daly, Karen
Croffie, Maame E. T.
Williams, Paul N.
Fenton, Owen
Fenelon, Anna
Daly, Karen
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2021-07-20
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Croffie, M.E.T., Williams, P.N., Fenton, O. et al. Rubidium measured by XRF as a predictor of soil particle size in limestone and siliceous parent materials. J Soils Sediments 22, 818–830 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-021-03109-4
Abstract
Purpose Information about particle size distribution (PSD) and soil texture is essential for understanding soil drainage,
porosity, nutrient availability, and trafcability. The sieve-pipette/gravimetric method traditionally used for particle size
analysis is labour-intensive and resource-intensive. X-ray fuorescence (XRF) spectrometry may provide a rapid alternative.
The study’s aim was to examine the use of XRF for rapid determination of PSD in Irish soils.
Methods Soils (n=355) from existing archives in Ireland were analysed with a benchtop energy-dispersive XRF (EDXRF).
Correlation and regression analyses were determined to compare Rb, Fe, Al, and Si concentrations to % clay, % silt, and
% sand. Also, linear regression models were developed to compare % clay, % sand, and % silt measured by the gravimetric
method to values predicted by EDXRF.
Results The relationship between element concentration and PSD was dependent on parent material. Rb, Al, and Fe showed
a signifcant (p<0.05) correlation (r>0.50) with % clay and % sand in soils derived from limestone and siliceous stone parent materials. Rb was the best predictor for % clay (R2=0.49, RMSE=10.20) in soils derived from limestone and siliceous
stone-derived soils.
Conclusion Geochemistry and clay mineralogy of the soils’ parent material strongly infuenced the EDXRF’s ability to
predict particle size. The EDXRF could predict % clay in soils from parent materials which weather easily, but the opposite
was true for soils with parent material recalcitrant to weathering. In conclusion, this study has shown that the EDXRF can
screen % clay in soils derived from limestone and siliceous stone parent materials.