Genesis and solution chemistry of acid sulfate soils in Thailand

To study short-term and long-term chemical processes in periodically flooded acid sulfate soils in the Bangkok Plain and in various smaller coastal plains along the Gulf of Thailand, 16 acid sulfate soils and one non-acid marine soil were examined for distribution of iron-sulfur compounds, elemental composition of soil and clay, clay mineralogy, redox potential, pH, and ionic activities in the soil solution.<p/>The application of thermodynamics to mineral-water interactions enlightened various aspects of sulfate reduction, weathering and transformation of minerals (with emphasis on iron oxides, jarosite and clay minerals), and acid production and pH buffering reactions in the soils