The paper deals with the results of a systematic geochemical study of soils at Mt Kinshozan in Central Japan, a limestone area known for its well-preserved Permian fossils. Compared with the typical composition of the Japanese upper continental crust, here the soils were found depleted in Si, Ca, Na, Mg, and K and rich in Ti, Al, and Fe. They were enriched with some heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Cu, Pb, and Zn) detected also in the acetic-acid residue of the limestone collected from Mt. Kinshozan. Therefore, the residual materials produced through chemical weathering of the limestone bedrock may have significantly contributed to the soils formation. Concentrations of C<sub>total</sub> were nearly identical to C<sub>org</sub> and the relationship between C<sub>total</sub> and Element/TiO<sub>2</sub> suggested a significant contribution of the litter to Si, Mg, Ca, and P in the soils.
Geochemical study on magmatic differentiation of Asama volcano, central Japan.
