Texture contrast soils (TCS) as indicators of eolian dust inputs in the coastal area of west central Senegal, West Africa

Texture contrast soils (TCS) as indicators of eolian dust inputs in the coastal area of west central Senegal, West Africa

Different hypotheses have been addressed to explain the origin of texture contrast soils (TCS) in coastal regions. Our study investigates the TCS in the coastal region of west central Senegal, West Africa, in order to appreciate the influence of eolian dust inputs on their formation and characterist...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Eurasian journal of soil science Vol. 9; no. 3; pp. 264 - 274
Main Author: FALL, Aïdara C. A. Lamine
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Samsun Federation of Eurasian Soil Science Societies (FESSS) 01-07-2020
Federation of Eurasian Soil Science Societies
Subjects:
Atmospheric particulates
Cellulose
Clay
Coastal zone
Coasts
Dust
Dust storms
Eolian dust
eolian dust inputs
Floodplains
Influence
Levees
Marine sediments
Precipitation
Profiles
Ratios
Salinity
Sediments
senegal
Soil
Soil analysis
Soil erosion
Soil formation
Soil investigations
Soil management
Soil profiles
Soil properties
Soil sciences
Soil testing
Soils
Subsoils
Texture
texture contrast soil
Topography
Topsoil
Vegetation
west africa
Zircon
Zirconium
Senegal
West Africa
Africa
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Different hypotheses have been addressed to explain the origin of texture contrast soils (TCS) in coastal regions. Our study investigates the TCS in the coastal region of west central Senegal, West Africa, in order to appreciate the influence of eolian dust inputs on their formation and characteristics. Nine soil profiles, from a levee to backswamp toposequence, three on each landscape position; floodplain, low terrace and middle terrace, were investigated. Soil profiles were described according to the World Reference Base. Particle-size analysis was performed by wet-sieving for the sand fraction and pipette analysis for the silt and clay fractions. Elements were determined in finely powdered soil mixed with cellulose in a ratio of 2:1. In this work, we focused principally on elemental zircon (Zr) and Titan (Ti). Our results show the presence of TCS in the coastal area of west central Senegal. We attribute the formation of these TCS to mainly two different sources of soil material: marine and continental. Marine sediments build the floodplain profiles and the subsoil of low terrace profiles, while the colluvial material derived from continental uplands form the middle terrace profiles and the topsoil of low terrace profiles. The main finding remains the influence of eolian dust inputs on the formation of TCS in this coastal area. Evidence of dust addition was confirmed by the uniformity of soil parent material tested through mS/(cU+mU) and Ti/Zr ratios. Such knowledge enhances understanding of local pedogenesis and may help develop sustainable soil management strategies.
ISSN:2147-4249
2147-4249
DOI:10.18393/ejss.736460