Investigating the Interconnection of Soil-Forming Processes with Geomorphological Processes

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Soil and Water Research Institute

2 Soil and Water Research Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

Abstract
Soils are the outermost layer of the earth's crust, and they are closely interrelated with the formation of the land on which they are formed and developed. Therefore, any change in the geomorphic processes affects the soil-forming processes. "Soil geomorphology" is an assessment of the genetic relationships between soils and landforms. Although the relationships between landforms and soils have been investigated by researchers, a quantitative evaluation of the relationship between soil and geomorphic surface has been less considered. However, the soil-geomorphology relationship is a two-way relationship, and a question arises here is that how an observed soil can indicate geomorphic surfaces or landforms? Accordingly, the current research tries to examine this issue with the use of statistics and conditional probability. For this purpose, the geomorphic units of the central region of Isfahan were delineated using geopedology approach (Zinck method) and 344 soil profiles were analyzed, and the conditional probability of the existence of each geomorphic unit was obtained on condition of observation of different soils. The findings quantitatively showed that there is a strong and close relationship between soil development and formation and the geomorphic condition, so that some soils can be found only in certain geomorphic unit. In other words, the soil is an indicator/unique soil for the geomorphic unit. Due to the similar relationship between the geomorphical levels and the soil taxonomical levels, the diversity increased as the taxonomical levels increased from orders to the families. Also, the findings showed slightly in the study area that the effect of "landforms and topography" on the development and formation of soils is more than parent material.

Keywords


References
Abbaszadeh F., Ayoubi Sh., Jafari A., and Khademi H. 2015. Considering soil diversity index and soil-landscape evolution relationship in the arid region of Bam, southeast Iran. Journal of Soil Management and Sustainable, 5(2): 71-91.
Ayoubi Sh., Karimian Eghbal M., and Jalalian A. 2006. Study of micromorphological evidences of climate change during quaternary recorded in paleosols from Isfahan. Journal of Water and Soil Science, 10 (1):137-151.
Bagheri Bodaghabadi M., and Toomanian N. 2019. Investigation of the relationship between geopedology and soil taxonomy in the soil-landscape models using conditional probabilities. Iranian Journal of Soil and Water Research. 10.22059/IJSWR.2019.267060.668023 (In Press).
Baveye P. 2002. Comment on "Modeling soil variation: past, present and future" by G.B.M. Heuvelink and R. Webster. Geoderma, 109: 289–293.
Bayat O., Karimzadeh H., and Khademi H. 2011. Clay minerals in two paleosols on geomorphic surfaces in Eastern Isfahan. Ranian. Journal of Crystallography and Mineralogy, 19 (1): 45-58.
Dobermann A., Goovaerts P., and Neue H.U. 1997. Scale-dependent correlations among soil properties in two tropical lowland rice fields. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 61: 1483–1496.
Esfandiarpour Boroujeni I., and Safari Y. 2014. Comparison of Functional Pedodiversity in Two Detailed Soil Map Units (A Case Study: Faradonbeh Plain, Chaharmahal-Va-Bakhtiari Province). Journal of Water and Soil Science, 18 (67): 267-277.
Esfandiarpoor Borujeni I. (2009) Generalization of Geopedological approach in Soil Mapping. Shahrekord University. 105p. (In Persian)
Farpoor M.H. 2001.The Relationship between Geomorphology and Evolution of Gypsum Soils in Rafsanjan Area, PhD dissertation of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology. 215p.
Goovaerts P., and Journel A.G. 1995. Integrating soil map information in modelling the spatial variation of continuous soil properties. European Journal of Soil Science, 46: 397-414.
Jafari, A., Ayoubi, S., Khademi, H., Finke, P.A., and Toomanian, N. 2013. Selection of a taxonomic level for soil mapping using diversity and map purity indices: A case study from an Iranian arid region. Geomorphology, 201: 86-97.
Keshtkar S., Jafari A., and Farpoor M.H. 2018. The effect of environmental and pedogenic factors on soil diversity in Kerman and Lalehzar regions. Journal of Soil Management and Sustainable, 8(1): 89-106.
Owliaie H., Najafi Ghiri M., and Shakeri S. 2018. Soil-landscape relationship as indicated by pedogenesis data on selected soils from Southwestern, Iran. Eurasian Journal of Soil Science, 7 (2): 167 – 180.
Phillips J.D. 2009. “Soils as extended composite phenotypes”. Geoderma, 149: 43–151.
Phillips J.D. 2001. Divergent evolution and the spatial structure of soil landscape variability. Catena, 43: 101–113.
Rossiter D.G. 2000. Methodology for soil resource inventories. Lecture notes, 2nd Revised Version, Soil Science Division, International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Science (ITC), Enschede, The Netherlands. 82p.
Schaetzl R.J., and Anderson, S. 2005. Soils: genesis and geomorphology. Cambridge University Press, New York, USA. 840p.
Schoeneberger P.J., Wysocki D.A., Benham E.C. and soil survey staff. 2012. Field book for describing and sampling soils, Version 3.0. Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Soil Survey Center, Lincoln, NE. 300p
Soil Science Division Staff. 2017. Soil survey manual. C. Ditzler, K. Scheffe, and H.C. Monger (Eds.). USDA Handbook 18. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 841p.
Soil Survey Staff. 1996. Soil survey laboratory methods manual. Report No. 42, USDA, NRCS, NCSS, USA. 389p.
Soil Survey Staff. 2014. Keys to soil taxonomy (12th Ed.). NRCS, USDA, USA. 214p.
Stallins J. A. 2006. “Geomorphology and ecology: Unifying themes for complex systems in biogeomorphology”. Geomorphology, 77: 207–216.
Toomanian N., Jalalian A., Khademi H., Karimian Eghbal M., and Papritz A. 2006. Pedodiversity and pedogenesis in Zayandeh-rud Valley, Central Iran. Geomorphology, 81: 376–393.
Wysocki D.A., Schoeneberger P.J., and LaGarry H.E., 2000. Geomorphology of soil landscapes. In: M.E. Sumner (Ed.), Handbook of soil science. Boca Raton, FL, CRC Press, pp. 5-39.
Zinck J.A. 1989. Physiography and soils. Lecture notes for soil students. Soil Science Division, Soil survey courses subject matter: K6 ITC, Enschede, The Netherlands. 118p.