Soil genesis and clay mineralogy on Aliabbas River Alluvial Fan, Kerman Province
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Soil genesis and clay mineralogy on Aliabbas River Alluvial Fan, Kerman Province Mohammad Hady Farpoor & Mehdi Irannejad
Received: 3 July 2011 / Accepted: 24 August 2011 / Published online: 4 September 2011 # Saudi Society for Geosciences 2011
Abstract Alluvial fan is among the important geomorphic positions in arid and semi-arid environments, and the history of settlement in central parts of Iran plateau has significantly been related to this landform. Soil properties are also related to the stability and the position of geomorphic surfaces. To study and compare clay mineralogy and soil physicochemical responses to geomorphic positions, 11 representative pedons on stable and unstable alluvial fan surfaces and plain geomorphic position in a transect from Sarcheshmeh Mountains toward Rafsanjan Plain were studied. Soil moisture and temperature regimes of the area were aridic and mesic, respectively. Smectite, kaolinite, chlorite, illite, and palygorskite clay minerals were found in almost all the studied soils. More salinity was investigated in stable alluvial fan surfaces than unstable positions. Evidence of a more humid paleoclimate shown by buried Bt horizons in plain surface was observed. Transformation of palygorskite to smectite in surface horizon of unstable alluvial fan position and preservation of palygorskite associated by gypsum crystals in By horizon of stable fan surfaces were among the important findings of the research. There was a significant and mutual relationship between geomorphology and physicochemical and mineralogical properties of soils under study. Keywords Paleoclimate . Palygorskite . Rafsanjan . Central Iran M. H. Farpoor (*) Soil Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran e-mail: [email protected] M. Irannejad Soil Science Department, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran
Introduction Soil and geomorphology are closely related. That is why considering geomorphic concepts in soil genesis and classification studies may cause a better understanding of soil genesis processes (Graham and Buol 1990). Soil texture, drainage, and gravel content together with location of soil in the landscape affect pedogenic gypsum and carbonate in the soils (Chadwick et al. 1988; Amrhein et al. 1985; Arkley 1963). Ghajar and Roozitalab (1994) found out that developed soils with petrocalcic horizons formed in stable geomorphic surfaces of Karadj area, Iran. On the other hand, Torrifluvents were only formed in unstable flood plain surface. Soil genesis affected by topography and time on highly calcareous parent material in Sarvestan Valley, Fars Province was studied by Abtahi (1980). Calcium carbonate redistribution in young alluvial soils of Holocene was not observed. At the same time, moderately developed alluvial soils of upper Pleistocene showed structural development and calcium carbonate redistribution. On the other hand, thick petrocalcic horizons in older sediments of lower and middle Pleistocene were a reason of more soil devel
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