Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
earth and planetary sciences
Soil-landscape relationships in the basalt-dominated highlands of Tigray, Ethiopia
Catena, Volume 75, No. 1, Year 2008
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
Though knowledge about the distribution and properties of soils is a key issue to support sustainable land management, existing knowledge of the soils in Tigray (Northern Ethiopian Highlands) is limited to either maps with a small scale or with a small scope. The goal of this study is to establish a model that explains the spatial soil variability found in the May-Leiba catchment, and to open the scope for extrapolating this information to the surrounding basalt-dominated uplands. A semi-detailed (scale: 1/40 000) soil survey was conducted in the catchment. Profile pits were described and subjected to physico-chemical analysis, and augerings were conducted. This information was combined with information from aerial photographs and geological and geomorphologic observations. The main driving factors that define the variability in soil types found were: 1) geology, through soil parent material and the occurrence of harder layers, often acting as aquitards or aquicludes; 2) different types of mass movements that occupy large areas of the catchment; and 3) severe human-induced soil erosion and deposition. These factors lead to "red-black" Skeletic Cambisol-Pellic Vertisol catenas on basalt and Calcaric Regosol-Colluvic Calcaric Cambisols-Calcaric Vertisol catenas on limestone. The driving factors can be derived from aerial photographs. This creates the possibility to extrapolate information and predict the soil distribution in nearby regions with a comparable geology. A model was elaborated, which enables the user to predict soil types, using topography, geomorphology, geology and soil colours, all of which can be derived from aerial photographs. This derived model was later applied to other catchments and validated in the field. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Van de Wauw, J.
Belgium, Ghent
Universiteit Gent
Baert, Geert
Belgium, Ghent
Hogeschool Gent
Moeyersons, Jan
Belgium, Tervuren
Royal Museum for Central Africa
Nyssen, Jan
Belgium, Ghent
Universiteit Gent
De Geyndt, K.
Belgium, Leuven
Ku Leuven
Taha, Nurhussein
Ethiopia, Makale
Mekelle University
Zenebe, Amanuel A.
Ethiopia, Makale
Mekelle University
Belgium, Leuven
Ku Leuven
Poesen, Jean W.A.
Belgium, Leuven
Ku Leuven
Deckers, Jozef A.
Belgium, Leuven
Ku Leuven
Statistics
Citations: 71
Authors: 9
Affiliations: 5
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.catena.2008.04.006
ISSN:
03418162
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Study Approach
Quantitative
Study Locations
Ethiopia