PEDOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT ON FOUR DIFFERENT PARENT MATERIALS

Abstract

The influence of parent materials on soil properties has long been recognized. Early pedologists and soil geographers based their concepts of soils largely on its presumed parent material. Later, parent material was viewed simply as a factor that influences soil development-an influence that diminishes in importance with time. The main objective of this study is to research the influence of four different soil parent materials on some soil physical, chemical, mineralogical and morphological properties of the study area located in the Southeast Anatolia Region of Turkey. Four soil profiles were investigated. Soil samples were analyzed using standard procedures. The results show that basalt and lime stone-marn derived soils have relatively deeper profiles, lower bulk density, higher clay content, organic matter, exchangeable bases, micronutrients and weatherable minerals. They are also higher in their CEC and base saturation percentage while available water capacity, hydraulic conductivity and natural water content are more adequate in them. The parent materials of around soils are basalt, lime stone-marn, sand stone materials and alluvium materials. It was observed that soil pedons formed on lime stone-marn and basalt parent materials were well developed while; pedons formed on sand stone and alluvial deposit have weak pedogenesis process. Development of B horizons (Bw, Bss and Bk) and carbonate accumulation were main pedogenic processes in subsurface horizons and vertic and orhric epipedon were developed on top surface. The most abundant clay mineral was smectite, followed by and illite and kaolinite. Four soil pedons were classified as Entisol, Vertisol and Aridisol according to Soil Taxonomy.