Observations of the Electrical Conductivity of the Tropical Soils of Western Puerto Rico

Abstract

Research Article| May 01, 1973 Observations of the Electrical Conductivity of the Tropical Soils of Western Puerto Rico JOHN W. WALKER; JOHN W. WALKER 1Electronics Technology and Devices Laboratory, U.S. Army Electronics Command, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey 07703 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar WILLIAM H. HULSE; WILLIAM H. HULSE 1Electronics Technology and Devices Laboratory, U.S. Army Electronics Command, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey 07703 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar DONALD W. ECKART DONALD W. ECKART 1Electronics Technology and Devices Laboratory, U.S. Army Electronics Command, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey 07703 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information JOHN W. WALKER 1Electronics Technology and Devices Laboratory, U.S. Army Electronics Command, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey 07703 WILLIAM H. HULSE 1Electronics Technology and Devices Laboratory, U.S. Army Electronics Command, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey 07703 DONALD W. ECKART 1Electronics Technology and Devices Laboratory, U.S. Army Electronics Command, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey 07703 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (1973) 84 (5): 1743–1752. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1973)84<1743:OOTECO>2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation JOHN W. WALKER, WILLIAM H. HULSE, DONALD W. ECKART; Observations of the Electrical Conductivity of the Tropical Soils of Western Puerto Rico. GSA Bulletin 1973;; 84 (5): 1743–1752. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1973)84<1743:OOTECO>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract A field study was conducted in western Puerto Rico to determine whether a correlation exists between the environment of occurrence of tropical soils and their electrical behavior. Soil samples were collected across the western end of the Cordillera Central from the vicinity of Isabella on the north coast to the vicinity of Parguera on the south coast of the island and along roads in an east-west direction joining the main traverse. Laboratory measurement of the electrical conductivity at 3 kHz was made in addition to the determination of the principal chemical and physical properties relevant to electrical behavior. X-ray diffraction analyses were made for several representative soils of the upland and lowland areas and for six pure clay specimens which were representative of the kaolin and montmorillonite groups.The results of the field study indicate a clear correlation of the electrical conductivity of the soil to the clay mineral content and to the environment of clay mineral occurrence. High electrical conductivity of the soil was associated with the occurrence of montmorillonite-type clays, while low conductivity occurred in association with the kaolin-type clay minerals. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.