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Interciencia ISSN: 0378-1844 [email protected] Asociación Interciencia Venezuela Sotelo Ruiz, Erasto Domingo; Gutiérrez Castorena, María del Carmen; Ortiz Solorio, Carlos Alberto Physical, chemical, and mineralogical characterization of vertisols to determine their parent material Interciencia, vol. 38, núm. 7, julio, 2013, pp. 488-495 Asociación Interciencia Caracas, Venezuela Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=33928556003 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL, AND MINERALOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF VERTISOLS TO DETERMINE THEIR PARENT MATERIAL Erasto D. Sotelo-RUiz, MarÍA del C. GUtiÉrrez-Castorena, GUstavo M. CRUZ-Bello and Carlos A. Ortiz-Solorio SUMMARY The response of soils to weathering processes depends upon mentary origin soils were classified as Chromic Calciusterts their parent material. Proper identification of the primary and and Typic Calciustolls. Dominant mineralogy of the soils of secondary minerals in Vertisols provides information about the igneous origin in the sand fraction was comprised of volcanic parent material that gives origin to these soils. Thus, the objec- glass (47%), quartz (31%), and feldspars (22%). Amorphous ma- tives of this study were 1) to determine the physical and chemi- terials, smectites, vermiculites, illites, and cristobalites domi- cal properties of Vertisols in order to characterize and classify nated the clay fraction. In contrast, in the soils of sedimentary them; 2) to identify their primary and secondary minerals to origin the sand fraction was composed of calcite (64%), quartz ascertain the type of parent material that gave origin to these (34%), and feldspars (2%). Smectites, vermiculites, quartzes, soils; and 3) to determine the type of rock that produces Verti- and feldspars composed the clay fraction. The parent material sols. Two types of Vertisols were studied: one of igneous origin of the igneous soils was rhyolite, while the sedimentary soils and dark color, and the other of sedimentary origin and pale were derived from limestone and sediments with high calcium light color. Soils of igneous origin were classified as Chromic carbonate contents. Haplusterts, Typic Haplusterts, and Mollic Ustifluvents. Sedi- arent material constitutes or a pre-existing soil (Porta et al., 2003). presence of slickensides, wedge-shaped one of the most impor‑ Escadafal et al. (1989), peds, and gilgai microrelief. tant factors in the forma‑ Coulombe et al. (1996) and Demattê and Coulombe et al. (1996) tion and distribution of Vertisols (Cou‑ García (1999) indicated that the informa‑ mentioned that Vertisols of igneous ori‑ lombe et al., 1996, 2000). Other factors tion provided by the mineralogical com‑ gins can be constituted by basalt, doler‑ such as climate, time, living organisms position of a given soil is crucial in order ite, ash, tuff and andesite in different re‑ and relief are more active and increase the to know its origin and genesis. In the gions all over the world. Rhyolites are pedogenesis level. The original material case of Vertisols, the presence of smec‑ composed of volcanic glass, quartz crys‑ (soil at time zero) represents the initial tites is responsible for their unique mor‑ tals, orthoclases, biotites and horn‑ state of the system, which may be a con‑ phological properties, such as the clay blendes as accessories (Bullock et al., solidated rock, an unconsolidated deposit, content (>30%), shrink-swell activities, 1985). The weathering of volcanic glass KEYWORDS / Clay Fraction / Igneous Origin / Sand Fraction / Sedimentary Origin / Smectite / Received: 11/08/21012. Modified: 07/29/2013. Accepted: 07/31/2013. Erasto Domingo Sotelo-Ruiz. Agronomical Engineer Specialized in Soils, Universidad Autónoma Chapingo (UACh), Mexico. Master and Doctor in Sciences in Edaphology, Colegio de Posgraduados (COLPOS), Mexico. Researcher, Insti‑ tuto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), México. Address: Km. 4.5 Carretera Toluca-Zitácuaro, Viali‑ dad Adolfo López Mateos, Colonioa Barbabosa, Zinacantepec, Estado de México. CP.51350. Mexico. e-mail: [email protected]. María del Carmen Gutiérrez-Castorena. Biologist, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Méxi‑ co. Master and Doctor in Sciences in Edaphology, COLPOS, Mexico. Professor-Researcher, COLPOS, Texcoco, Mexico. Gustavo Cruz-Bello. Biologist and Master, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Ph.D., University of Arizona, USA. Researcher, Centro de Investigación en Geografía y Geomática “Ing. Jorge L. Tamayo” A.C., Mexico. Carlos Alberto Ortiz-Solorio. Agronomical Engineer Specialized in Soils, UACh, México. Master and Doctor in Sciences in Edafology, COLPOS, Mexico. Professor-Researcher, COLPOS, Texcoco, Mexico. 488 0378-1844/13/07/488-08 $ 3.00/0 JUL 2013, VOL. 38 Nº 07 generates smectites and amorphous sili‑ ceous mineral silicates (Gutiérrez et al., 2007). Nevertheless, it is not known how much of those minerals in the Vertisols are developed from rhyolites. In the Mexican Highlands, Vertisols constitute one of the most abundant soils; however, they have been poorly studied. The few research efforts that deal with these soils are mainly related to productivity and management (Ortiz, 1997). In those areas, numerous rock types have been found, mainly of igne‑ ous origin, such as acid extrusive and intrusive ones (INEGI, 1988b). Vertisols in Central Mexico (State of Guanajuato) are de‑ rived from basalts, which are abundant in the lowlands (INEGI, 1988b). In an‑ other important zone of Vertisols in Mexico, namely the coastal area of the Gulf of Mexico, their origin is sedi‑ mentary, mainly from limestone. How‑ ever, there are no studies on either zone about the morphology, soil prop‑ erties, mineralogy, and origin of these Figure 1. Location of Vertisol study sites in Mexico. Vertisols (INEGI, 1988c). Therefore, it is necessary to determine and classify the mineralogy of the soils from these tween 25°13'22'' and 25°29'34''N, and be‑ cation exchange capacity, pH, organic zones in order to know what kind of tween 98°00'18'' and 98°06'23''W st (INE‑ carbon, CaCO3, electrical conductivity, rocks originated the Vertisols. GI, 1988c; Figure 1). The climate is (A) percentage of interchangeable Na, solu‑ In this regard, the ob‑ Ca(x’) (wo)(e)w”, that is, sub-humid tem‑ ble cations, base saturation percentage, jectives of this research were 1) to deter‑ perate with summer rains and presence of P2O5, and n-value. mine the physical and chemical proper‑ an intermediate dry season; the annual ties of Vertisols in order to characterize average temperature is 23.5°C, with an Mineralogy analysis and classify them; 2) to identify their annual precipitation of 656.7mm (García, primary and secondary minerals to as‑ 2004). Mineralogical determi‑ certain the type of parent material that nations were carried out in order to char‑ gave origin to these soils; and 3) to de‑ Field work acterize the soils, according to the fol‑ termine the type of rock that produces lowing procedure: Vertisols. The Vertisols in the study sites were delimited on the basis of a) Sand fraction. This analysis was Materials and Methods soil maps prepared by the Mexican Na‑ carried out in order to determine the tional Institute of Statistics and Geogra‑ type of parent materials that originated Study area phy, Scale 1:250000 (INEGI, 1988a). soils, as well as the presence of litho‑ Three representative soil profiles were lo‑ logic discontinuities. The sand fraction Two sites with Vertisols cated and described according to FAO was screened and separated from the of different origins were selected. The (2006) for each zone, which were located silt and clays through a 0.5mm sieve; first one, with dark soils of igneous ori‑ on each type of soil, where Vertisols had the carbonates were eliminated using gin, is located in Central Mexico (State two profiles due to them being studied 10% HCl, and the organic matter was of Guanajuato), between 20°30’57’’ and and for covering the largest areaCLARI‑ removed with 60% H2O2. The sand 20°36’34’’N, and between 100°49’20’’ FY; also, several drillings were made on fraction was washed and dried; the and 101°06’40’’West (INEGI, 1988a). This the surroundings of the profile to verify 2 sands of the medium fraction (250- site covers 3000km (Figure 1). The dom‑ the soil types and their limits. 500µm) were placed on a slide with inant geomorphology is mainly volcanoes unsaturated polyester resin and covered and valleys (INEGI, 1988b). According to Laboratory analysis with a slide cover slip. The identifica‑ García (2004), the climate is BS1hw(w)(e) tion was based on the optic properties g, which is semi-arid semi-warm, with The physical and chem‑ according to Gribble and Hall (1992) extreme rains in summer. The annual av‑ ical properties of the soil profiles were and electron microscopy was used for erage temperature is 19.6°C, with an an‑ determined following the procedures of identifying the minerals. nual precipitation of 599.2mm. Van Reeuwijk (2006) and the Soil Sur‑ The second site has light vey Staff (1998). The physical proper‑ b) Clay fraction. The clays (fraction color Vertisols of sedimentary origin; it ties analyzed were moisture content, <2µm) were separated from the sand covers 2500km2 and is located in North‑ texture, color, bulk density and real and silt by the pipette method (Van east Mexico, in the coastal plains of the density; the chemical properties studied Reeuwijk, 2006). The clay was dried Gulf of Mexico (State of Tamaulipas), be‑ were organic matter, cation exchange, through boiling to obtain a dry powder JUL 2013, VOL. 38 Nº 07 489 soil from profile 3 was classified as Entisol, which presented a slightly hard consistency in the first three lay‑ ers, with a clay content <9%; it was a young soil that covered 12% of the area.