Age estimation of the Shulie Lake and Eatonville tills in Nova Scotia by pedogenic development

The Shulie Lake Till (in which the Shulie soil developed) and Eatonville Till (in which the Westbrook soil developed) are commonly found at the surface of western Cumberland Country. The Shulie Lake Till is occasionally found overlying the Eatonville Till near the boundary of the two tills. The Shulie Lake Till is of late Wisconsinan age, but the age of the Eatonville Till is not known. Several pedons of the Shulie and Westbrook soils were observed and analyzed to determine the degree of their pedogenic development in order to estimate the relative ages of the two tills in which these soils had developed.The thickness of the solum and the amount of amorphous Fe and Al were found to be greater in the Westbrook soil than in the Shulie soil. This evidence indicates that the Eatonville Till is older than the Shulie Lake Till. However, the age difference between the tills is probably small because, after discounting differences in inherited kaolinite, the differences in composition and weathering of the clay m...