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Journal of Arid Land  2022, Vol. 14 Issue (11): 1317-1330    DOI: 10.1007/s40333-022-0034-8
Research article     
Soil evolution along an alluvial-loess transect in the Herat Plain, western Afghanistan
Farsila MAHMOUDIAN1, Alireza KARIMI2,*(), Omid BAYAT2
1Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Herat University, Herat 3001-272806, Afghanistan
2Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad 9177948974, Iran
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Abstract  

Afghanistan is located in the Eurasian loess belt, however, there is little information on the soils in the area. Loess has covered the Herat Plain in western Herat City, Afghanistan. Despite the diversity of landform and parent material, there is no information on the soil and landform evolution in this area. The objectives of this study were to identify the soils along a transect of different landforms in the Herat Plain and determine the role of geomorphic processes on the soil and landform evolution. Five pedons from an alluvial fan, the depression between alluvial fan and piedmont plain, saline and non-saline piedmont plains, and the flood plain of the Hariroud River, were sampled. Then, the physical-chemical properties, mineralogy, and micromorphology of the samples were determined. Results showed that the soil parent material in the piedmont plain is loess, whereas, in the flood plain it is a combination of loess and river alluvial sediments. Calcification, lessivage, salinization, and gleization are the most important pedogenic processes. The calcification and lessivage appear to be the result of a wetter climate during the late Quaternary, whereas the present topography causes the gleization and salinization. Clay coatings on carbonate nodules and iron nodules are abundant pedofeatures in the Btk (argillic-calcic) horizon. Iron oxides nodules are common in the soils of the flood plain. The formation of palygorskite in both alluvial- and loess-derived soils implies the onset of aridity and the trend of increase in environmental aridity in the region. It seems that after the formation of a well developed paleosol on the alluvial fan in a more humid climate in the past, the piedmont plain has been covered by loess deposits, and the calcification, gleization, and salinization cause the formation of weakly developed surficial soils. This study highlights the role of the late Quaternary climatic changes on the evolution of landforms and soils in western Afghanistan.



Key wordsalluvial fan      loess-derived soils      paleosol      gleization      Hariroud River     
Received: 02 June 2022      Published: 30 November 2022
Corresponding Authors: *Alireza KARIMI (E-mail: Karimi-a@um.ac.ir)
Cite this article:

Farsila MAHMOUDIAN, Alireza KARIMI, Omid BAYAT. Soil evolution along an alluvial-loess transect in the Herat Plain, western Afghanistan. Journal of Arid Land, 2022, 14(11): 1317-1330.

URL:

http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1007/s40333-022-0034-8     OR     http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2022/V14/I11/1317

Fig. 1 (a), location of the study area and the studied soil pedons in the geomorphic surfaces in southern Herat Plain, western Afghanistan; (b), the geology of the study area form Bohannon and Lindsay (2007). P1-P5, soil pedons; Af, alluvial fan; De, depression; PP1, saline piedmont plain; PP2, non-saline piedmont plain; Fp, flood plain.
Fig. 2 Schematic representation of soil pedons locations and their horizons in geomorphic surfaces
pH Soil
texture
Redness
index
Fed
(g/kg)
EC
(dS/m)
SOC CCE Gravel Sand Silt Clay Dry color Depth
(cm)
Horizon
(%)
Pedon 1, alluvial fan (Af), Typic Calciargids
7.3 LS 6.0 3.8 1.8 0.3 14.0 54 77.0 8.0 15.0 7.5YR 5 /4 0-10 A
7.3 LS 6.0 4.0 2.0 0.6 15.0 45 75.5 5.5 19.0 7.5YR 5 /4 10-45 2Btk
7.9 SL 0.0 4.4 3.8 0.4 13.2 66 64.7 22.9 12.4 10YR 6 /3 45-70 3Ck1
7.7 L 0.0 5.0 3.3 0.5 13.2 73 42.3 42.0 15.7 10YR 6 /3 0-100 4Ck2
7.8 L 0.0 4.6 3.2 0.3 13.0 62 40.0 45.0 15.0 10YR 6 /3 100-150 5Ck3
Pedon 2, depression (De), Typic Epiaquepts
8.5 LS 3.0 7.1 40.0 1.7 13.2 - 59.0 25.3 15.7 7.5YR 5 /2 0-8 Azg
8.1 SiCL 2.1 10.2 2.8 1.2 16.4 - 15.7 51.9 32.4 7.5YR 7 /2 8-33 2Bg1
8.1 SiL 2.1 9.5 2.0 1.1 15.1 - 16.0 72.0 12.0 7.5YR 7 /2 33-80 2Bg2
8.0 SiL 2.1 10.5 1.5 1.0 13.5 - 14.5 72.0 12.5 7.5YR 7 /2 80-120 2Bg3
Pedon 3, saline piedmont plain (PP1), Typic Haplocambids
8.6 SiL 3.0 5.0 49.0 1.7 15.6 - 15.7 68.8 15.6 5YR 5 /3 0-10 A
8.3 SiL 3.0 4.0 15.8 1.2 13.0 - 22.3 65.4 12.3 5YR 5 /3 10-55 Bk1
8.1 SiL 3.0 4.0 10.0 1.5 15.1 - 15.7 72.0 12.3 5YR 5 /3 55-90 Bk2
8.0 SiL 3.0 4.0 8.3 1.1 14.1 - 14.5 71.5 14.0 5YR 5 /3 90-145 Bk3
Pedon 4, non-saline piedmont plain (PP2), Typic Endoaquepts
7.7 C 2.5 6.0 1.4 1.8 16.6 - 15.7 32.0 52.3 7.5YR 6 /3 0-20 Ap
7.7 C 0.0 2.3 1.1 0.8 16.6 - 12.3 35.3 52.3 10YR 6 /1 20-45 Bg1
8.1 C 0.8 5.8 1.2 0.4 16.6 - 22.3 32.0 45.7 2.5YR 6/2 45-90 Bg2
8.2 SiCL 2.1 7.5 1.0 0.6 16.5 - 19.0 45.3 35.7 7.5YR 7/2 90-140 Bg3
Pedon 5, flood plain (Fp), Typic Aquicambids
7.9 L 2.5 3.5 1.2 1.0 13.0 - 40.0 44.0 16.0 7.5YR 6/3 0-25 Ap
8.1 L 1.6 5.3 1.3 0.8 15.6 - 39.0 42.0 19.0 2.5YR 6/4 25-75 Bw
7.1 L 1.6 5.6 1.0 0.5 12.0 - 41.0 39.0 20.0 2.5YR 6/2 75-120 Bg1
8.0 L 2.0 5.5 1.0 0.4 13.5 5 38.0 37.0 17.5 2.5YR 6/2 120-155 Bg2
Table 1 Selected physical, chemical and morphological properties of the studied pedons
Fig. 3 Vertical variation of sand/silt+clay ratio in the studied pedons
Fig. 4 Relationship between Fed and silt+clay in the studied pedons
Fig. 5 (a), clay coating on carbonate nodule (XPL); (b), sequence of clay and carbonate coating on coarse fragment (PPL); (c), iron oxides nodule in the Btk horizon of pedon 1 (XPL); (d), incomplete infilling of lenticular gypsum in the Bk1 horizon of pedon 3 (XPL); (e) and (f), hypocoating and coating of iron oxides (XPL); (g), weathered biotite in the Bg1 horizon of pedon 5 (XPL); (h), subangular blocky microstructure in the Bg1 horizon of pedon 4 (XPL); XPL, crossed-polarized light; PPL, plain-polarized light.
Fig. 6 (a), X-ray diffraction diffractograms of clay fraction of the Btk horizon of pedon 1; (b), the Bw horizon of pedon 2; (c), the Bk horizon of pedon 3; (d), the Bg1 horizon of pedon 4; (e), the Bg1 horizon of pedon 5; Mg-Sat, Mg satuarted; Mg-Eg, Mg and ethylene glycol saturated; K-Sat, K saturated; K550, K saturated and heateh at 550℃; cps, counts per second.
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