PRELIMINARY SURVEY OF SOME SOILS FROM CHILEAN ALTIPLANO NEAR IQUIQUE

In the Altiplano of the Iquique Province, Chile, a study was carried out for the purpose of advancing in the knowledge of the soils in the zone, to determine the soil moisture and soil temperature regimes, and to establish its taxonomic classification. In one area, at the base of the slopes of the Irruputuncu volcano, where the occurrence of lahars and the presence of moraine deposits is described, 5 soil profiles were examined morphologically and some of their chemical and physical properties were determined. Moreover, the degree of pedogenic evolution of the volcanic parent materials was assessed. The depth of the solum did not exceed 0.40 m, and the low organic carbon content, combined with the dominance of the sand fraction, determined a low water holding capacity, which hampers the development of vegetation. It was determined that the soil temperature regime is frigid and its moisture regime is ustic. None of the soils showed andic soil properties. Hence, given the limited pedogenic development it was proposed to classify them as Ustorthents (Entisols, USDA, 2010).

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Norambuena V,Pablo, Luzio L,Walter, Zepeda,Oscar, Stern,Jack, Reinoso,Felipe
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Chilean Society of Soil Science / Sociedad Chilena de la Ciencia del Suelo 2011
Online Access:http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0718-95162011000200006
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