A sample grid was established 9.5 km northwest of Ladysmith, Wisconsin, to provide information on the potential significance of organic matter on the concentrations of Cu in a grey-brown podzolic soil. Two samples were taken from each of 130 sample locations within the grid. One sample was collected from near the bottom of the zone of obvious organic enrichment in the soil, and the other was taken a short distance below the organic zone.

Data from individual sample holes were transformed to maximize the potential influence of organic mapper on Cu enrichment. By combining the data from the entire grid, it was possible to derive empirical populations representing the variability of weight percent organic matter and Cu concentration within individual sample holes. By further combining these populations, graphically, it is possible to delineate regions of interest that may be used to identify organic influences on Cu concentration within sample holes. The study suggests that in similar sampling situations, organic contents up to 5% dry weight do not greatly influence Cu concentrations within the soil profile. To some degree, the combined influence of differences in clay content and content of hydrous iron and manganese oxides between sample levels within individual holes can also be demonstrated.