Soil Development and Fertility Characteristics of Inland Valleys in the Rain Forest Zone of Nigeria: Mineralogical Composition and Particle-Size Distribution

doi:10.1016/S1002-0160(09)60143-0

Pedosphere

Volume 19, Issue 4, August 2009, Pages 505-514

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1002-0160(09)60143-0 Get rights and content

Abstract

The particle-size distribution and mineralogical composition of the clay (< 2 μm) and fine-sand (0.25–0.10 mm) fractions in soils of two inland valleys in Abakaliki and Bende, Southeast Nigeria, were investigated to provide basic information on soil-forming processes and agricultural potentials. These soils were silty or clayey, deriving from Cretaceous or Tertiary shale materials. The particle-size distribution and its computation on a clay-free basis revealed relatively remarkable lithologic breaks in a couple of pedons. The effect of lithologic discontinuities on soil mineralogical composition was not, however, conspicuous. Petrographic investigation revealed that quartz predominantly comprised the fine-sand fraction in the soils at both study sites. Nevertheless, the clay mineralogical composition of the soils was a mixture of kaolinite, irregularly interstratified smectite-illite intergrades (S/I), hydroxyl-Al interlayered 2:1 type clays (HICs), vermiculite, smectite, halloysite and illite along with fine-sized quartz in Abakaliki. The soils of Bende predominantly contained smectite, which was partially interlayered with hydroxyl-Al and kaolinite. It is suggested that seasonal floodwater has slowed the disintegration of weatherable clay minerals inherited from the shale, while quartz originating from the sandstone is predominant in the fine-sand fraction. Additionally, a possible soil-forming process observed at the both study sites was ferrolysis, which was indicated by a clear decreasing pattern of HICs downward in the soil profiles. The entry of S/I and vertical distribution patterns for a couple of clay minerals in the pedon suggested that the soils in Abakaliki have developed under the significant influence of aeolian dust delivered by the Harmattan. The findings might describe a site-specific deposition pattern of Harmattan dusts as well as hydromorphic soil-forming processes in the wetlands of the inland valleys.

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: Project supported by the Grant-in-Aid of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Nos. 15101002 and 19002001).

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Soil Development and Fertility Characteristics of Inland Valleys in the Rain Forest Zone of Nigeria: Mineralogical Composition and Particle-Size Distribution

Abstract

Atmos. Environ.

Geoderma.

Geoderma.

Earth-Sci. Rev.

Geoderma.

Geoderma.

Geoderma.

Geoderma.

Geoderma.

Appl. Clay Sci.

Catena.

Comprehensive assessment of the clay mineralogical composition of lowland soils in West Africa

Soil Sci. Plant Nutr.

Primary mineral characteristics of topsoil samples from lowlands in seven West African countries

Jpn. J. Trop. Agr.

Soil development and fertility characteristics of inland valleys in the rain forest zone of Nigeria: Physicochemical properties and morphological features

Soil Sci. Plant Nutr.

Mineral occurrence in soil environments

Chlorites and hydroxyl-interlayered vermiculite and smectite

Soils of flood plains of West Africa: General fertility status

Soil Sci. Plant Nutr.

Transformation of mica to high-charge smectite, depending on the particle size, in a yellow-brown soil of China

Clay Sci.

Soil properties and mineralogy in relation to land use on a sedimentary toposequence in south-eastern Nigeria

J. Agr. Sci.

Physico-chemical, morphological, and clay mineralogical properties of soils overlying basement complex rocks in Ogoja, North Cross River state of Nigeria

Soil Sci. Plant Nutr.