Colluvial processes and soil variation at field boundaries in County Down
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55650/igj.1998.365Abstract
In fields on slopes, colluvium can accumulate against a field bank so that the surface of the eroded field is at a higher level than the field immediately downslope. This creates a drop down from the upper field to the lower. These features, step-like in cross section, form during cultivation and survive in land that has reverted to pasture without the normal restoration of soil upslope being undertaken. The presence of such a deposit distorts the downslope pattern of moisture movement in that a component of this flow is now towards the field bank from which it often seeps. To ascertain if the formation and survival of these colluvium deposits can affect soil property variation, a study was carried out in three fields at three different sites in mid-County Down. Data on organic carbon, pH. pyrophosphate extractable iron, dithionite extractable iron and mass specific magnetic susceptibility were obtained from detailed sampling often profiles located at approximately ten metre intervals downslope in each field. These data were examined graphically. Results show that downslope changes in soil properties are influenced by surface wash, as well as by the development of a saturated wedge and longer soil moisture residence times, following the alteration of pathways of moisture movement, in the vicinity of the colluvial deposits.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
URN
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).