Soil Clay Mineralogy Research Articles

Influence of parent rock on soil clay mineralogy and physicochemical properties: a case study from the O’Higgins region, central Chile

Influence of parent rock on soil clay mineralogy and physicochemical properties: a case study from the O’Higgins region, central Chile

The effects of parent rock on soil clay mineralogy and soil physicochemical properties: A review

The effects of parent rock on soil clay mineralogy and soil physicochemical properties: A review

The Effect of Slope Position on Clay Mineralogy of Soils in Two Topo-Sequences with Different Parent Materials in Parts of Karoun 3 Basin, East of Khuzestan Province

The Effect of Slope Position on Clay Mineralogy of Soils in Two Topo-Sequences with Different Parent Materials in Parts of Karoun 3 Basin, East of Khuzestan Province

Comparison of Clay Mineralogy and Micromorphological Image Analysis of Anaerobic and Aerobic Soils in the North of Iran

Comparison of Clay Mineralogy and Micromorphological Image Analysis of Anaerobic and Aerobic Soils in the North of Iran

Insights into the mechanism of earthquake-triggered landslides in plastic fine-grained soils

This article seeks to investigate the cyclic behaviour of fine-grained soils and clarify the mechanism of earthquake-triggered landslides in this material. Six soils with different plasticity and mineralogy were tested in a series of undrained ring-shear experiments using different stress histories. The obtained results were analyzed in relation to the soil plasticity, clay mineralogy, and soil microfabrics to better understand the main factors leading to failure. It was found that the low-plasticity soil mixtures containing either kaolinite or illite were susceptible to liquefaction, while more plastic soil specimens that contained smectite were resistant to liquefaction. The mechanism of earthquake-triggered landslides and the factors affecting them were discussed, and it was experimentally shown that the failure in plastic fine-grained soils was not driven by the excess pore water pressure. Instead, it occurred mostly due to the large permanent shear displacements developed during cyclic loading.

Estimating WEPP Cropland Erodibility Values From Soil Properties

Highlights Very fine sand is the single most important variable for predicting rill and interrill erodibility values. Slope steepness is the most important property for predicting critical shear for rill erosion. Erodibility prediction equations with the best goodness-of-fits have both soil texture and mineralogy terms. Equations to predict erodibility from texture, organic carbon, cation exchange, slope, and taxonomy are proposed. Abstract. In the late 1980s, the USDA Agricultural Research Service, along with other federal agencies and multiple universities, collaborated to develop a new physically based soil erosion model, the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) Model. The WEPP model was intended to replace the Universal Soil Loss Equation and was to include estimates for upland runoff and erosion, sediment delivery to first order channels, and runoff and sediment routing through a downstream channel network. The WEPP technology estimated erosion from raindrop splash and sheet flow (interrill erosion) and concentrated channel flow (rill erosion). To make these erosion estimates, WEPP required new soil erodibility values for interrill erodibility (Ki). rill erodibility (Kr), and critical shear (𝜏c) for concentrated flow erosion. The WEPP Core team determined that they needed to estimate these three erodibility values from measurable soil properties for a wide range of soil conditions. To develop relationships between WEPP soil erodibility variables and other soil properties, a field study was carried out using rainfall and runoff simulation to measure the three erodibility values for 36 soils. Sites were identified on croplands from Washington to Georgia and Maine to California, USA for erodibility measurement. Concurrently, the USDA Soil Conservation Service (SCS) carried out detailed soil surveys and laboratory analyses for all sites to provide a large database of soil physical, chemical, and engineering properties. Correlation and regression analyses were carried out to develop relationships between SCS measurable soil properties and WEPP soil erodibility values. This article provides a summary of the field procedures, data analyses, and subsequent predictive equations that were developed. The predictive equations that were finalized in the WEPP User Summary used sand, very fine sand, clay, and organic carbon contents to predict cropland soil erodibility, but the Coefficient of Determination (r2) values were 0.55 or less. More complex predictive equations were developed with soil physical, chemical, mineralogical, and geomorphic properties, with r2 values up to 0.81. Most of the better predictive equations included terms for soil texture and clay mineralogy, often with additional chemical properties. A set of simplified erodibility equations using only the readily available properties of soil texture, organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, slope steepness, and taxonomic order were derived for use within the WEPP Model, with r2 values greater than 0.5 for all three equations for estimating soil erodibility from measurable soil properties. Keywords: Critical Shear, Interrill Erodibility, Rill Erodibility, Soil Properties, WEPP.

Lithological controls on soil geochemistry and clay mineralogy across Spodosols in the coastal temperate rainforest of southeast Alaska

The interaction of similar soil forming factors with different parent materials determines soil chemical weathering, influencing soil processes and properties. In the coastal temperate rainforests of southeast Alaska, Spodosols is the dominant soil order in well-drained parent materials regardless of the lithology. Yet, the role of lithology on chemical weathering, base cation depletion, and mineral transformation during pedogenesis remains elusive. Here, we established a lithosequence comprised of soils derived from tonalite, phyllite, slate, and metavolcanic rocks to test the hypothesis that despite the soils in southeast Alaska presenting similar taxonomy and morphology, the influence of lithology in chemical weathering intensity and mineralogy can be detected. We evaluated physicochemical properties, clay mineralogy, Fe-Al oxides, chemical weathering, and elemental mass balance on eleven Spodosols sampled along the lithosequence. We also propose a new weathering index, the Weathering Index for Spodosols (WISP), suitable to evaluate the weathering degree of soils with Al mobility and base-rich parent materials. This index fills a gap in traditional weathering indices that uses Al as an immobile element and/or does not evaluate the leaching of main base cations. We found the pedons across the lithosequence expressed similar physicochemical properties, with predominantly thick profiles, presenting andic properties, relatively thick spodic horizons, and thin E horizons. Podzolization imposed similar mineral transformation trends, mainly dissolution of chlorite, mica alteration to interstratified mica-vermiculite, and formation of smectite in E horizons. Kaolinite was detected in the soils from all lithologies, but only in trace amounts in phyllite soils. Fe oxides depth distribution was similar but with a higher concentration in the slate (44.5 ± 4.2 g/kg), followed by metavolcanic (31.6 ± 4.0 g/kg), phyllite (27.9 ± 3.8 g/kg), and tonalite soils (19.9 ± 5.7 g/kg) and predominantly as organometallic complexes (extracted by Na-pyrophosphate). The stronger weathering of chlorite and mica in the E horizons was reflected in larger losses of Mg and K, while Ca and Na were more depleted in the spodic horizons, suggesting plagioclase weathering. Slate soils were the most depleted in base cations, followed by phyllite, tonalite, and metavolcanic soils. The more depleted status of slate soils was supported by the higher WISP values (WISP = 62), followed by phyllite (WISP = 55), tonalite (WISP = 53), and metavolcanic soils (WISP = 45). Our results demonstrated that lithology controlled elemental depletion intensities, Fe oxide concentrations, and partially the clay fraction mineralogy in addition to podzolization acting as a dominant pedogenic process across all sites. These findings advance our understanding of the role of lithology on soil mineralogy/geochemistry that impacts critical soil functions, such as the soil carbon cycle, elemental fluxes, organo-mineral interactions, and solid-solution reactions.

Using environmental covariates to predict soil organic carbon stocks in Vertisols of Sudan

Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks account for nearly 75% of the active carbon pool in terrestrial ecosystems. SOC is also one of the most important soil quality components and has a vital role in agricultural productivity. The main objective of this study was to test the ability of regression kriging (RK) to predict the spatial distribution of SOC stocks in the Vertisols of Gezira State, Sudan using environmental covariates (ECOVs) and legacy soil data. The variables involved 2098 legacy soil datasets (LSDs). Seven ECOVs were used: precipitation (PR), temperature (T), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), land use/cover (LULC), digital elevation model (DEM), terrain slope (TS), and valley depth (VD), all downloaded from the repository of the United States Geology Survey (USGS) except PR and T. The RK model was validated using root mean squared error (RMSE), normalized root mean squared error (nRMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE), and coefficient of determination (R2). The NDVI and topography were the major ECOVs affecting spatial SOC distribution and its stocks in the area. The results showed that low elevation areas had higher SOC content compared to higher regions and the SOC stocks were 4.14 Kg C ha−1, 0.86 Kg C ha−1, 0.11 Kg C ha−1, 0.02 Kg C ha−1, and 0.004 Kg C ha−1 at gradient levels of <5°, 5–10°, 10–15°, 15–20°, and < 20°, respectively. Additionally, the spatial prediction revealed that agricultural land use (cropland) had the greatest SOC stocks (4.49 Kg C ha−1), whereas grasslands and forest lands were the lowest (0.01 Kg C ha−1). The RK model performed fairly well (RMSE = 1.83 g kg−1; nRMSE = 36%; MAE = 1.7%; MSE = 3.63%; R2 = 0.98) and gave satisfactory results to predict SOC stocks in the top 30 cm of the Vertisols. The findings of this study highlight that Vertisols could play a vital role in climate change mitigation via high SOC stocks and ability for C sequestration. It was recommended that the RK model should be extended to include much denser LSDs and test it with additional ECOVs combined with most specific soil properties that would have significant influence on SOC stocks in Vertisols, particularly soil pH, clay content, and clay mineralogy to achieve higher accuracy.

Physical-hydric properties of Oxisols as influenced by soil structure and clay mineralogy

The soil water retention curve (SWRC) and soil hydraulic conductivity (K) are important soil hydraulic properties. In Oxisols, the degree of microaggregation depends on the amount of iron and aluminum oxides, kaolinite and biological activity engaged in modifying the pore size distribution (PSD) of the soil porous system. The objectives of this study were (i) to characterize four Brazilian Oxisols in terms of SWRC and PSD, using undisturbed (structural SWRCs) and disturbed (textural SWRCs) soil samples; (ii) to apply the van Genuchten-Mualem (vGM) model to the prediction of K and (iii) to correlate the classes of porosity and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) with the physical, chemical and mineralogical properties. Four soils were studied: Xantic Kandiustox, Rhodic Haplustox, Anionic Acrustox and Typic Hapludox. The soil samples were collected from the Bw horizon of each soil. The structural SWRCs were determined by Haine’s funnels and Richards’ chambers, whereas the textural SWRCs were determined by dew point meter. Ksat was evaluated by constant head permeameter and, additionally, soil chemical and mineralogical analyses were prepared. It was concluded that: (i) the four soils showed bimodal PSD; (ii) the four soils presented the maximum frequency of equivalent radius in the class of macropores (structural SWRCs) with rmax varying between 43.37 and 88,98 μm, and in the class of cryptopores (textural SWRCs) with rmax varying between 0.012 and 0.014 µm; (iii) the higher the Ksat, the higher the K predicted by the vGM model over the entire soil water content range of the structural SWRCs, except for Xanthic Kandiustox and Typic Hapludox in which this phenomenon occurred closer to saturation; (iv) the K values estimated by the vGM model from textural SWRCs were very low, varying approximately from 10−25 to 10−11mm h−1 for the four soils; (v) the degree of microaggregation of Rhodic Haplustox and Anionic Acrustox resulting from the high levels of Fe and Al oxides, leading to the formation of greater inter-aggregate space, had an influence on the high Ksat and showed that the mineralogy of the clay fraction was decisive in the physical-hydric behavior of these soils.

Soil characteristics and tillage can predict the effect of ‘structure lime’ on soil aggregate stability

Context In Sweden, mixtures of 80–85% ground limestone and 15–20% slaked lime (hereafter, ‘structure lime’) are used in subsidised environmental schemes to improve aggregate stability and mitigate phosphorus losses on clay soils. Aims This study investigated different rates of structure lime application and soil variables on aggregate stability on clay soils, and whether soil properties can predict aggregate stability following structure liming. Methods Increasing application rates of 0–16 t ha−1 of structure lime (SL0, SL4, SL8 and SL16) were tested in 30 field trials in Sweden. Soil aggregates (2–5 mm) were collected 1 year after liming and subjected to two rainfall events in a rain simulator. Key results Leachate turbidity after the second simulated rainfall event decreased significantly (13% and 20%, respectively, in SL8 and SL16) compared with SL0, indicating improved aggregate stability. There was a near-significant interaction (P = 0.056) between treatment and trial. Grouping by initial SR21022_IE1.gif (range 6.2–8.3), clay content (10–61%), soil organic matter content (SOM, 2.2–7.1) and clay mineralogy (SmV index, 0.2–3.8) revealed different effects on turbidity. Discriminant analysis of soil characteristics and four tillage variables correctly classified the outcome for 27 of the 30 trial sites. Conclusions Results show that structure liming can improve aggregate stability 1 year after liming, and can thereby prevent particulate P losses from soils with high clay and SOM content, low SmV index and low initial pH. The discriminant analysis also showed the importance of tillage for the outcome of structure liming. Implications Clay soil characteristics such as SOM and pH significantly affected aggregrate stability after structure liming.

Lithological Controls on Soil Geochemistry and Clay Mineralogy Across Spodosols in the Coastal Temperate Rainforest of Southeast Alaska

Lithological Controls on Soil Geochemistry and Clay Mineralogy Across Spodosols in the Coastal Temperate Rainforest of Southeast Alaska

Potassium Forms and Their Relationships with Soil Properties and Clay Mineralogy in the Soils of Kumaon Himalayan Region of India

Potassium Forms and Their Relationships with Soil Properties and Clay Mineralogy in the Soils of Kumaon Himalayan Region of India

Clay Mineralogy of Soils Developed on Miocene Marls of Mt. Medvednica, Nw Croatia: Origin and Transformations in Temperate Climate

Clay Mineralogy of Soils Developed on Miocene Marls of Mt. Medvednica, Nw Croatia: Origin and Transformations in Temperate Climate

Soil Chemistry and Clay Mineralogy of an Alluvial Chronosequence from the North Carolina Sandhills of the Upper Coastal Plain, USA

Temporal changes in soil development were assessed on fluvial terraces of the Little River in the upper Coastal Plain of North Carolina. We examined five profiles from each of six surfaces spanning about 100,000 years. Soil-age relationships were evaluated with inter-surface clay mineral comparisons and regression of chemical properties versus previously reported optically-stimulated luminescence ages using the most developed subsoil horizon per profile. Bases to alumina (Bases/Al2O3) ratios have negative correlations with age, whereas dithionite-Fe (FeD) concentrations are positively correlated with time and differentiate floodplain (&lt;200 yr BP) from terrace (≥10 ± 2 ka) soils and T4 pedons (75 ± 10 ka) from younger (T1-T3b, 10 ± 2–55 ± 15 ka) and older (T5b, 94 ± 16 ka) profiles. Entisols develop into Ultisols with exponentially decreasing Bases/Al2O3 ratios, reflecting rapid weatherable mineral depletion and alumina enrichment during argillic horizon development in the first 13–21 kyr of pedogenesis. Increasing FeD represents transformation and illuviation of free Fe inherited from parent sediments. Within ~80–110 kyr, a mixed clay mineral assemblage becomes dominated by kaolinite and gibbsite. Argillic horizons form by illuviation, secondary mineral transformations, and potentially, a bioturbation-translocation mechanism, in which clays distributed within generally sandy deposits are transported to surface horizons by ants and termites and later illuviated to subsoils. T5b profiles have FeD concentrations similar to, and gibbsite abundances greater than, those of pedons on 0.6–1.6 Ma terraces along Coastal Plain rivers that also drain the Appalachian Piedmont. This is likely because the greater permeability and lower weatherable mineral contents of sandy, Coastal Plain-sourced Little River alluvium favor more rapid weathering, gibbsite formation, and Fe translocation than the finer-grained, mineralogically mixed sediments of Piedmont-draining rivers. Therefore, recognizing provenance-related textural and mineralogical distinctions is crucial for evaluating regional chronosequences.

Evaluating Soil Carbon as a Proxy for Erosion Risk in the Spatio-Temporal Complex Hydropower Catchment in Upper Pangani, Northern Tanzania

Land use conversion is generally accompanied by large changes in soil organic carbon (SOC). SOC influences soil erodibility through its broad control on aggregate stability, soil structure and infiltration capacity. However, soil erodibility is also influenced by soil properties, clay mineralogy and other human activities. This study aimed to evaluate soil organic carbon as proxy of soil erosion risk in the Nyumba ya Mungu (NYM) catchment in Northern Tanzania. Soil organic carbon (SOC) was measured by an AgroCares scanner from which the soil organic matter (SOM) was derived using the conversional van Bemmelen factor of 1.72. A regression analysis performed between the measured loss on ignition (LOI) values and SOM from the AgroScanner showed a strong positive correlation in all land use classes (LOIFL R2 = 0.85, r = 0.93, p &lt; 0.0001; LOICL R2 = 0.86, r = 0.93, p = 0.0001; LOIGL R2 = 0.68, r = 0.83, p = 0.003; LOIBS R2 = 0.88, r = 0.94, p = 0.0001; LOIBL R2 = 0.83, r = 0.91, p = 0.0002). This indicates that SOC from the soil scanner provided a good representation of the actual SOM present in soils. The study also revealed significant differences in the soil aggregate stability (WSA) and SOM stock between the different land use types in the Upper Pangani Basin. The WSA decreases approximately in the following order: grassland &gt; forest land &gt; bare land &gt; cultivated &gt; bush land. Land use change can thus potentially increase the susceptibility of soil to erosion risk when SOC is reduced. Since WSA was directly related to SOM, the study indicates that, where formal measurements are limited, this simple and inexpensive aggregate stability test can be used by farmers to monitor changes in their soils after management changes and to tentatively assess SOC and soil health.

English

Basic soil composition, or more precisely, soil organic matter, soil clay mineralogy and soil texture have been in the core of most infrared spectroscopy research for soils. Of course, nutrient availability, soil structure, soil microbial activity and soil fertility have also been a major subject of interest over the past two decades. The determination of soil nutrients is now becoming a routine work at large scale to gain high yield. The large number of soil nutrients determining techniques are used. The current paper presented that among tested techniques, Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) is a best technique which has been used widely with minimum time, low in cost, ecofriendly and rapid determination of chemical, physical properties and organic matter present in soil. Obviously, this useful technique can be used to estimate properties such as mineral composition, SOM, water, percentage of carbon, nitrogen and clay content. It could be used directly in soil mapping, for monitoring soil, for making inferences about its quality and function, and making geomorphological interpretations of its distribution. The development of most accurate and trustworthy NIRS approaches are required.

Clay mineralogy of soils from lower atrai basin of Bangladesh

The lower Atrai basin, the study area, lies in the Agroecological Zone-5 (AEZ-5) of Bangladesh. This study reveals the clay mineral composition of top soils of seven different soil series viz. Binsara, Taras, Jaonia, Hasnabad, Laskara, Manda and Mainam developed in the basin. X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique was employed to identify and quantify the minerals. Results show that mica (41 to 59%) was the most dominant mineral among all soils except Laskara. In Laskara soils, the interstratified mica-vermiculite-smectite (41%) was the predominant mineral. Next to mica, kaolinite (10 to 12%) was found to be present in the Binsara, Taras 1, Jaonia, and Taras 2 soils. Chlorite (7 to 17%) was identified in all the soils and was found to be the second dominant mineral in the Manda and Mainam soils. In contrast, the interstratified mica-vermiculitesmectite (33%) was found to be the second dominant mineral in the Hasnabad soils. Small amounts of vermiculite mineral (1 to 13%) were identified in almost all the soils except Binsara. All the soils have interstratified mica-chlorite minerals (2 to 7%). A tiny amount of smectite (1%) was identified in Taras 1 soil. As far as the clay mineralogical composition is concerned, most studied soils were found at the initial stage of weathering, indicating the high potential to sustain low input subsistence agriculture.&#x0D; Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 30(2): 293-306, 2021 (July)

IDENTIFICATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF MINERALS IN SOILS FROM AL-AHRAR AREA, WAIST PROVINCE, IRAQ

The clay mineralogy of soils and of the main calcareous sedimentary soils of middle of Iraq were investigated to determine the presence of different clay minerals and their distribution pattern in soils. Six pedons were chosen and total of 24 soil horizons were collected. The results revealed that the soil minerals were primary and others were secondary minerals. Generally, the results of the semi-quantitative distribution of the clay minerals in clay fractions showed the dominance of the montmorillonite minerals and illite alternate with chlorite in being main and kaolinite are major, while, the presence of palygorskite mineral were trace except P5 may be miner (saline soils). The origin of the montmorillonite minerals in these soil may be inherited in origin from the mica. Soil chlorite was found in some soils due to chloritization of expanding clay minerals. The mineralogical distribution in bulk soils were dominated by calcite, and quartz, while other minerals were identified feldspar, hematite and pyroxene in addition to the clay minerals in all the soil samples.

The effect of soil properties on zinc lability and solubility in soils of Ethiopia – an isotopic dilution study

Abstract. Zinc (Zn) deficiency is a widespread nutritional problem in human populations, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The Zn concentration of crops consumed depends in part on the Zn status of the soil. Improved understanding of factors controlling the phyto-availability of Zn in soils can contribute to potential agronomic interventions to tackle Zn deficiency, but many soil types in SSA are poorly studied. Soil samples (n=475) were collected from a large part of the Amhara Region of Ethiopia, where there is widespread Zn deficiency. Zinc status was quantified by measuring several fractions, including the pseudo-total (aqua regia digestion; ZnTot), available (DTPA (diethylenetriamine pentaacetate) extractable; ZnDTPA), soluble (dissolved in 0.01 M Ca(NO3); ZnSoln) and isotopically exchangeable Zn, using the enriched stable Zn isotope 70Zn (ZnE). Soil geochemical properties were assessed for their influence on Zn lability and solubility. A parameterized geochemical assemblage model (Windermere Humic Aqueous Model – WHAM) was also employed to predict the solid phase fractionation of Zn in tropical soils rather than using sequential chemical extractions. ZnTot ranged from 14.1 to 291 mg kg−1 (median = 100 mg kg−1), whereas ZnDTPA in the majority of soil samples was less than 0.5 mg kg−1, indicating widespread phyto-available Zn deficiency in these soils. The labile fraction of Zn in soil (ZnE as % ZnTot) was low, with median and mean values of 4.7 % and 8.0 %, respectively. Labile Zn partitioning between the solid and the solution phases of soil was highly pH dependent, where 94 % of the variation in the partitioning coefficient of 70Zn was explained by soil pH. Similarly, 86 % of the variation in ZnSoln was explained by soil pH. Zinc distribution between adsorbed ZnE and ZnSoln was controlled by pH. Notably, Zn isotopic exchangeability increased with soil pH. This contrasts with literature on contaminated and urban soils and may arise from covarying factors, such as contrasting soil clay mineralogy across the pH range of the soils used in the current study. These results could be used to improve agronomic interventions to tackle Zn deficiency in SSA.

Development of functions to predict soil hydraulic properties that account for solution sodicity and salinity

Saturated soil hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) and the soil water characteristic curve have been predicted from soil texture, bulk density, and other soil physical properties. These previous functions do not account for soil clay mineralogy or soil solution composition. The objectives of this study were to: (1) analyze the performance of previously developed pedotransfer functions (PTFs) on saline and sodic soils, (2) predict hydraulic properties of saline and sodic soils with a range of clay mineralogy, and (3) develop PTFs that account for clay mineralogy and solution composition. Most PTFs do not perform well on soils with smectitic clay mineralogy and usually over-estimate Ksat and under-estimate soil water characteristic on smectite clay dominant soils. Accounting for soil cation exchange capacity (CEC) as an indicator of soil clay types and solution composition improved the prediction of Ksat which had a geometric root mean squared error of 3.28 cm day−1 compared to 6.04 cm day−1 for the best performing PTF from the literature. A PTF we developed to predict soil water characteristic curve was able to predict soil water characteristic curve with a root mean squared error of 0.032 g g−1 compared to 0.082 g g−1 for the best performing previously published PTF. The PTFs developed in this study improved prediction of soil hydraulic properties on salt affected soils by using soil CEC to account for soil clay behavior and responsiveness to the soil solution composition. The PTFs reported here can easily be used to predict the Ksat and the soil water characteristic curve of soils in response to changes in irrigation water quality.