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Chloride Movement in Undisturbed Swelling Clay Soil
Author(s) -
Kissel D. E.,
Ritchie J. T.,
Burnett Earl
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1973.03615995003700010012x
Subject(s) - swelling , fluorescein , soil water , chloride , tracer , geology , soil horizon , soil science , clay soil , chemistry , materials science , composite material , fluorescence , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , nuclear physics
Relatively large, continuous soil pores were important pathways of downward Cl ‐ movement in saturated, swelling clay soils. Using water‐soluble fluorescein as a tracer for downward water and Cl ‐ movement in field basins, distinct small areas of the soil contained fluorescein, whereas nearby areas contained no visible fluorescein after Cl ‐ and fluorescein was ponded at the surface for 1.5 days. Chloride contents in the areas containing fluorescein were considerably higher than in nearby areas. Breakthrough curves of a large saturated core of undisturbed swelling clay soil indicated that Cl ‐ was moving quite rapidly through large connected pores. In the undisturbed swelling clay soil, the volume of soil water not containing Cl ‐ was about 60%; when the disturbed soil was repacked to the same density this value decreased to 40%. More of the original soil solution was eluted from long undisturbed cores than from short undisturbed cores of the same diameter before Cl ‐ appeared in the effluent. Apparently the longer core wall blocked more connected flow paths which were not vertical.