AN INVESTIGATION OF WEATHERING IN SOME ARCTIC‐ALPINE SOILS ON THE NORTHEAST FLANK OF OKSSKOLTEN, NORTH NORWAY 1

Summary Morphological, particle size and mineralogical analyses of three soils indicate that the degree of weathering during pedogenesis has been of a low order. Textural characteristics and mineral content variations arc attributed largely to inheritance from the till parent material, rather than to pedological processes. These observations suggest that frost action as a soil weathering process in this particular environment is minimal. Hydration and dissolution by chelation are discussed as possible alternative mechanisms, but their operation is probably impaired by restricted water availability resulting from the extensive duration of seasonally frozen ground conditions.