INVESTIGATIONS ON THE INTENSITY OF WEATHERING OF SOILS DEVELOPED FROM GLACIAL AND FLUVIOGLACIAL DEPOSITS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HISTORY OF THE LANDSCAPE IN THE MT EVEREST REGION

Soils developed from glacial and fluvioglacial deposits in the Mt. Everest region (Eastern Nepal) were differentiated analytically with regard to weathering intensity and age. Iron fractionation, clay mineral analysis and the calculation of weathering indices resulted in a separation of the soils into two groups. One group, of 'young soils' with their main weathering zone in the top horizons, has developed from deposits of the last ice age or postglacial events; this was supported by radiocarbon dating. The other group, of considerably older, highly weathered soils, was presumably derived from interglacial deposits. Based on these results and according to the soil geographical evidence, indications on the Pleistocene history of the landscape and the extent of the last major glaciation could be deduced.