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A SOIL CATENA ON GRANITE IN SOUTHERN RHODESIA
Author(s) -
WATSON J. P.
Publication year - 1964
Publication title -
journal of soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.244
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2389
pISSN - 0022-4588
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2389.1964.tb02222.x
Subject(s) - weathering , gleysol , geology , horizon , saprolite , laterite , soil water , soil horizon , vegetation (pathology) , soil production function , geochemistry , parent material , earth science , soil science , pedogenesis , nickel , medicine , physics , materials science , pathology , astronomy , metallurgy
Summary A catena on the Mid‐Tertiary surface near Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia, has developed over granite. Both land form and rock form indicate a two‐cycle landscape. The climate is sub‐tropical with a 33‐in. rainfall and the vegetation is a variant of Braclzystegia savannah woodland. Profiles of good and imperfect drainage have three main horizons, namely, M (mineral); over, F/S (ferricrete and stones); over, W (weathered rock) horizons. Poorly drained soils exhibit G (gley) horizons. The W horizon of a hill‐top soil comprises material at an early weathering stage below 12 ft having a platy structure, well‐developed clayskins, and fresh minerals, but older material above that depth does not correspond to Van Wambeke's criteria for ante‐Pleistocene materials. Dynamic soil‐forming processes include lateral movement of the M horizon by sheetwash and truncation of the W horizon by insect activity.