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The Rub' al Khali is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 square kilometres including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert. One very large pile of sand!!!
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The border between Tennessee and North Carolina runs northeast to southwest through the centerline of the park. It is the most visited national park in the United States.
On its route from Maine to Georgia, the Appalachian Trail also passes through the center of the park. The park was chartered by the United States Congress in 1934 and officially dedicated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1940. It encompasses 522,419 acres (816.28 sq mi; 211,415.47 ha; 2,114.15 km2), making it one of the largest protected areas in the eastern United States. The main park entrances are located along U.S. Highway 441 (Newfound Gap Road) at the towns of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Cherokee, North Carolina. It was the first national park whose land and other costs were paid for in part with federal funds; previous parks were funded wholly with state money or private funds.
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Human alteration of landforms, relocation of soil for building of infrastructure, and alteration of soil profiles occur even in this remote location. (Photo by Alan Light)
Human-Altered Material
Human-altered material (HAM) is soil parent material (organic or mineral) that has undergone anthroturbation (mixing or disturbance by humans). It differs from HTM in that it generally has been altered in place and contains little or no evidence of being transported from another location. Examples include agricultural soils that have been deeply mixed (e.g., by deep ripping of a root-restrictive subsoil layer such as a duripan) and soils that have been mechanically compacted to impound water (as in a rice paddy with anthric saturation). The concept also includes soils that have been removed, stockpiled, and replaced during reclamation (as in some surface mining or urban development activities) and soil materials that remain exposed after excavation (such as those on the floor of a gravel pit).
Human-altered materials are commonly associated with destructional anthropogenic landforms. These landforms are in areas where soil material has been removed (pits, quarries, mined areas, etc.). In some cases, a destructional landform may be recognized by tracing a subsurface horizon (such as an argillic or spodic horizon) from adjacent non-human altered soils laterally to the point where it disappears abruptly, which corresponds to the boundary of the destructional landform. Destructional anthropogenic landforms are excavated but may later be filled or covered. Where the excavations have been partially or totally filled with the original soil material, the material is considered HAM.
Where they have been filled with different soil material, the material is considered HTM.
Evidence of human-altered material includes:
• Material occurs in an area impacted by the agricultural practices of deep plowing to rip a root-restrictve layer or of intentional compaction to puddle water.
• Material occurs within an excavated area (destructional landform) such as a pit or quarry.
• The soil profile has features such as reoriented pieces of diagnostic horizons; rock fragments that are mechanically abraded; scrape marks underlying soil material that was removed, stockpiled, and replaced on site; or purposely compacted layers formed during construction activities.
Al Dhaid, is the capital of the central district of the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. An oasis town, it has extensive irrigated date palm plantations with water channelled from the nearby Hajar mountains at least in part through ancient tunnels dug for that purpose, known as aflaj. Dhaid has long occupied a strategic location in the mouth of the important Wadi Siji.
Sand sheets are relatively flat, undulating plots of sand. They form approximately 40 percent of aeolian depositional surfaces. Sand sheets exist where grain size is too large, or wind velocities too low, for dunes to form.
Sand dunes, any accumulation of sand grains shaped into a mound or ridge by the wind under the influence of gravity. Dunes are found wherever loose sand is windblown: in deserts, on beaches, and even on some eroded and abandoned farm fields in semiarid regions, such as northwest India and parts of the southwestern United States.
For more information about soil classification using the UAE Keys to Soil Taxonomy, visit:
agrifs.ir/sites/default/files/United%20Arab%20Emirates%20...
For more information about describing soils using the USDA-Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_052523...
The Rub' al Khali is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 square kilometres including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert. One very large pile of sand!!!
For more photos related to soils and landscapes visit:
Photo courtesy of EAD-Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi. www.ead.gov.ae/
Miliolite originates as wind-blown or water deposited carbonate sands that over time becomes solidified.
The types seen at Al Wathba were created from cross-bedded dunes, formed at their core by ground water depositing layers of calcium carbonate (chalk) and other similar salts during the glacial period.
The enchanting formations found in the Al Wathba area take their shape from specific patterns of water and importantly wind erosion.
For more information visit:
www.behance.net/gallery/105772203/Al-Wathba-Fossil-Dunes-...
How can wind shape so elegantly little grains of sand into patterns that intersect at interesting angles - and then suddenly change the whole artistry of a dune? I think that no matter how many times you see a pattern in a pattern in a pattern that is a sand dune, you are forever mesmerized by the grandeur of the complexity of the physics. The flux of energy here is phenomenal and the sculptress exotic. To be caught in the shifting biting stinging sand is a whole other matter for then nature seems cruel, harsh, and so unjust. At times we love to walk the thin edge - the fine line left by the last puff of wind shifting and rolling sand grains. (Dr. Richard Arnold, former Director, Soil Survey Division, USDA-NRCS)
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The Rub' al Khali is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 square kilometres including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert. One very large pile of sand!!!
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The drive along the Al Qua'a-Um al Zamool road bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia is amazing. It is the best area to view the largest star dunes in this area of the Rub' al Khali. The Rub' al Khali is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 square kilometres including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert. One very large pile of sand!!!
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"As responsible scientists and technicians the members of the soil survey have a responsibility to explain their information, how it was obtained, what it seems to mean, and how good or how uncertain the information may be. Without such a responsibility to the customers, the public, and to science there would not be the keen sense of pride and accomplishment of being professionals." (Dr. Richard W. Arnold, Director, Soil Survey Division, USDA-NRCS; 1980 to 1996)
Soils are the basis of life and the foundation for agriculture. (Genesis 2:7: Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.)
Yet, during the past few decades, focus on the importance of soils has diminished, coupled with harsh man-made and natural conditions that have resulted in soil erosion and soil nutrient depletion. Without vibrant and healthy soil, plants and animals cannot flourish. Therefore, it is vital that we have a deep understanding of soil so we may conserve and protect this very valuable natural resource.
The word “soil,” like many common words, has several meanings. In its traditional meaning, soil is the natural medium for the growth of land plants, whether or not it has discernible soil horizons. This meaning is still the common understanding of the word, and the greatest interest in soil is centered on this meaning. Soil covers the earth’s surface as a continuum, except on bare rock, in areas of perpetual frost or deep water, or on the bare ice of glaciers. In this sense, soil has a thickness that is determined by the rooting depth of plants.
The images provided in the Soil Science Photo Gallery offer a unique perspective of the world underfoot. They are designed to be used by students, naturalists, scientists, or anyone seeking a better understanding of the natural world in which we live. In general, the images and accompanied information are an overview of the contemporary process of describing, classifying, and correlating soils. These materials will assist the reader to increase their knowledge about soil as a natural, evolving feature of the earth’s surface and its critical role in sustaining life.
Many of the images were photographed over a 35-year career as a soil scientist with USDA-NRCS and as an international soil consultant. Others were downloaded from various web-based articles, publications, photo albums, etc. Where known, the images have been sourced, cited, or credited to the original author or photographer and a link provided to the original and related sites. Otherwise, it may be assumed they have been provided by USDA-NRCS (SCS) staff. Please keep in mind, over time links may be broken as web sites are changed or files deleted or moved.
In order to make comparison easier, they have been revised to a standard size and format. Soil profiles may have been edited to remove extraneous objects such as tools, scales, markers, cross shadows, etc. or to clarify features. If the image is of a soil or landscape outside the U.S., the standard ISO two-digit country code has been provided. (i.e., AU indicating Australia)
If you would like a copy of an image(s), they may be downloaded via the Flicker download feature in various resolutions including the original size (5x7 inch @ 500 ppi for pedons). Request for permission to use individual image(s) is not required; however, if used, please cite the original source or photographer (e.g., Photo courtesy of John Kelley, USDA-NRCS or Photo by USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, or Photo source unknown.)
If a photo from this site is used in a publication, on a web site, or as part of any other project, please use the provided photo credit. This photo may not be used to infer or imply USDA-NRCS endorsement of any product, company, or position. Please do not distort the image the photo portrays.
The contributions to this site from the original authors and photographers are greatly appreciated. Comments, suggestions, or contributions can be made by contact through FlickrMail or…
bettmark.john@gmail.com
To view a list of individual albums, click HERE
John A. Kelley
Soil Scientist, Retired
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service
Soil and Plant Science Division
President, Bettmark, Inc.
Raleigh, NC USA 27613
To view Research Gate profile/research click HERE
PLEASE NOTE:
The information provided by the “Soil Science Photo Gallery”, is for general informational purposes only. All information on the Site is provided in good faith, however, there is no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, availability, or completeness of any information on the Site. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL THE SITE HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE USE OF THE SITE OR RELIANCE ON ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THE SITE. USE OF THE SITE AND RELIANCE ON ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT THE USERS OWN RISK.
The site may contain (or you may be sent through the Site) to other websites or content belonging to or originating from third parties or links to websites and features in banners or other advertising. Such links (or images associated with these links) are not investigated, monitored or checked by the managers of the Soil Science Photo Gallery. WE DO NOT WARRANT OR ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR RELIABLILITY OF ANY INFORMATION OFFERED BY THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES LINKED THROUGH THE SITE OR ANY WEBSITE OR FEATURE/IMAGE LINKED IN ANY BANNER OR OTHER ADVERTISING. WE WILL NOT BE A PARTY TO OR IN ANY WAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING AND TRANSACTION BETWEEN THE USER AND THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS OR PRODUCTS OR SERVICES.
The site does not contain site specific information or advice. The scientific information is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not to be used as legal advice. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with an appropriate professional soil scientist. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THIS SITE IS SOLEY AT THE USERS OWN RISK.
Photo courtesy of EAD-Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi. www.ead.gov.ae/
Established by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Al Wathba Wetland Reserve is the first area in the Emirate designated for protection by law and was declared a Ramsar site in 2013. www.ramsar.org/sites-countries/ramsar-sites-around-the-world
Once a coastal salt flat (sabkha), it has now flourished into natural and man-made lakes that enable many of Abu Dhabi's species to thrive. In 2018, the reserve was placed on the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas making it the first site in the region to receive this recognition.
The reserve is particularly known for its large population of Greater Flamingos – with as many as 4,000 living there during autumn and spring – but also hosts more than 250 species of birds, 37 plant species and a wide range of aquatic life. There are two self-guided walking trails (1.5 kms or 3 kms) for visitors to explore and a bird-watching hide to observe the flamingos.
The soils are Aquisalids. Aquisalids are the salty soils in wet areas in the deserts where capillary rise and evaporation of water concentrate the salts near the surface. Some of these soils have redoximorphic depletions and concentrations. In other soils redoximorphic features may not be evident because of a high pH and the associated low redox potential, which inhibit iron and manganese reduction. These soils occur dominantly in depressional areas where ground water saturates the soils at least part of the year. The vegetation on these soils generally is sparse, consisting of salt-tolerant shrubs, grasses, and forbs. Although these soils may hold water at a tension less than 1500 kPa, the dissolved salt content makes the soils physiologically dry.
For more information, visit;
www.ead.gov.ae/en/experience-green-abu-dhabi/places-to-go...
Cades Cove is an isolated valley located in the Tennessee section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA. The valley was home to numerous settlers before the formation of the national park. Today Cades Cove, the single most popular destination for visitors to the park, attracts more than two million visitors a year because of its well preserved homesteads, scenic mountain views, and abundant display of wildlife. The Cades Cove Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The border between Tennessee and North Carolina runs northeast to southwest through the centerline of the park. It is the most visited national park in the United States.
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The soils along the floodplain are in the Billings or Trail series.
The Billings series (foreground) consists of very deep, well drained, moderately slowly or slowly permeable soils formed in alluvium derived from marine alkaline shale and mixed sedimentary rocks. Billings soils are on flood plains, flood-plain steps, and valley floors. Slopes are 0 to 10 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 7 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 50 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, active, calcareous, mesic Typic Torrifluvents
USE AND VEGETATION: Where irrigated and not too saline, alfalfa, small grains, sugar beets, and beans are grown. Potential native vegetation is mainly shadscale, Indian ricegrass, galleta, and greasewood.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The semiarid and arid parts of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. The series is extensive, about 100,000 acres.
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/B/BILLINGS.html
For a detailed soil description, visit:
casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/see/#billings
The Trail series (in pasture) consists of very deep, well drained and somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in stratified alluvium. Trail soils are on floodplains and alluvial fans and have slopes of 0 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 8 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 54 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, mesic Typic Torrifluvents
USE AND VEGETATION: Trail soils are used for livestock grazing and irrigated cropland. The present vegetation is cottonwood, salt cedar, willow, Russian thistle, camelthorn, fourwing saltbush, and sand dropseed.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Arizona, southern Colorado, northern New Mexico and southern Utah. This series is not extensive, less than 100,000 acres.
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/T/TRAIL.html
For a detailed soil description, visit:
casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/see/#trail
Badland (background) is moderately steep to very steep barren land dissected by many intermittent drainage channels in soft geologic material. Ordinarily, it is not stony and occurs in semiarid and arid areas.
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For additional information about soil classification using Soil Taxonomy, visit:
sites.google.com/site/dinpuithai/Home
For more information about describing soils using the USDA-Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_052523...
For more information about describing soils using the USDA-Soil Survey Manual, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/ref/?cid=n...
The first impression we have when looking at bare earth, or soil, is of the color. Vivid colors and striking differences can catch our eye. The stories told by soil colors vary with the ecosystem and other factors. Soils come in many different colors, most commonly in shades of black, yellow, brown, red, gray, and white. When looking below ground, we see various layers in the soil, which are called soil horizons. The arrangement of these horizons is known as a profile. Soil scientists observe and describe the horizons and profiles to classify the soil and make predictions for land use. Soil color can help us predict mineral content, chemical composition, physical properties, and other important soil characteristics.
The Soil Colors of the United States poster was generated by selecting the brightest color in the profile at each location. Successful soil scientists and soil surveyors appreciate the tremendous quantity of information that is related to soil color. Differences in color by depth and position are meaningful to trained experts. Soil color supports a practical understanding of a landscape’s recent and long-term history.
The Sangre de Cristo Range, called the East Range locally in the San Luis Valley, is a high, rugged and narrow mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in southern Colorado in the United States, running north and south along the east side of the Rio Grande Rift. The mountains extend southeast from Poncha Pass for about 75 miles through south-central Colorado to La Veta Pass, approximately 20 miles west of Walsenburg, and form a high ridge separating the San Luis Valley on the west from the watershed of the Arkansas River on the east. The Sangre de Cristo Range rises over 7,000 feet above the valleys and plains to the west and northeast. For more photos related to soils and landscapes visit:
These soils are moderately deep and sandy overlying a petrogypsic layer. The soils are typically moderately well to excessively drained. They occur on flats and gentle slopes within level to gently undulating deflation plains and occasionally on sand sheets. They are formed from eolian sands that overlie petrogypsic materials.
These soils are used for rangeland grazing of camels though vegetation cover is frequently less than 5%. Common vegetation species recorded are Haloxylon salicornicum with occasional Zygophyllum spp. and Stipagrostis plumosa.
This soil is common in the As Sila’ sub-area and the northern part of the Ghayathi sub-area. Occasional sites were also described in the Al Ain sub-area.
The main feature of this soil is the moderate depth (<100cm) to a petrogypsic horizon. The soil material above the hardpan is sandy and also contains a gypsum horizon. The limited depth to the hardpan layer is the main restriction for this soil. This restricts water movement, moisture retention and presents a barrier to root development further restricting the availability of nutrients. The presence of gypsum suggests that salinity might be a problem under irrigation. Soil subsidence may also be an issue as gypsum is leached from the soil under irrigation. This soil is considered unsuitable for irrigated agriculture.
For more information about soil classification in the UAE, visit:
vdocument.in/united-arab-emirates-keys-to-soil-taxonomy.h...
For more information about describing and sampling soils, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/field...
or Chapter 3 of the Soil Survey manual:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/The-Soil-Su...
For additional information on "How to Use the Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils" (video reference), visit:
Deep colluvial soils at the base of the Hajar Mountains near Hatta in the UAE. The Al Hajar Mountains (Arabic: جبال الحجر, stone mountains) in northeastern Oman and eastern United Arab Emirates are the highest mountain range in the eastern Arabian peninsula. They separate the low coastal plain of Oman from the high desert plateau, and lie 50–100 km inland from the Gulf of Oman coast.
It was difficult to imagine these deep loamy soils under the nearly stone covered soil surface.
For more information about soil classification in the UAE, visit:
library.wur.nl/isric/fulltext/isricu_i34214_001.pdf
For more soil related images, visit:
Photo courtesy of EAD-Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi. www.ead.gov.ae/
You may not consider this material soil, just a large pile of sand; however, soil is the natural medium for the growth of land plants (note plants on the steep slopes), whether or not it has discernible soil horizons.
People consider soil important because it supports plants that supply food, fibers, drugs, and other human needs and because it filters water and recycles wastes. For purposes of classification, the lower boundary of soil is arbitrarily set at 200 cm. All terrestrial life ultimately depends on soil, energy, and water. Soils have always been central to human civilization and life. They are an integral part of the physical and cultural environment, and we may take them for granted and even tend to treat them contemptuously.
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The Rub' al Khali is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 square kilometres including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert. One very large pile of sand!!!
For more photos related to soils and landscapes visit:
This region lies in the south-west of the Emirate, adjacent to the border with Saudi Arabia. It constitutes linear dune fields of interlayered white carbonatic and red quartzite sands with minor exposure of Quaternary dunes and inter-dune formation.
The Rub' al Khali is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 square kilometres including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert. One very large pile of sand!!!
For more photos related to soils and landscapes visit:
Thick deposits of wind blown sand along Fossil Mountain in the Sharjah Emirate in the UAE. Officially called Jebel Maleihah, this large outcrop is more widely known as Fossil Rock, after abundance of marine fossils that can be found on its slopes. This area is rich with the fossils of shells and small sea creatures that were on the ocean floor millions of years ago when water covered much of Arabia. These were created when limestone formed around their shells to make a mould, which then solidified to leave a perfect imprint.
Mleiha, also Mileiha or Malaihah, is a town in the Emirate of Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates with a population of 4,768, located some 2 km south of the inland Sharjah town of Dhaid.
The soils of this map unit are dominated by Typic Torripsamments, mixed, hyperthermic. These are the hot Psamments of arid climates. They have an aridic (or torric) moisture regime and a temperature regime warmer than cryic. Many of these soils are on stable surfaces, some are on dunes, some are stabilized, and some are moving. Torripsamments consist of quartz, mixed sands, volcanic glass, or even gypsum and may have any color. Generally, they are neutral or calcareous and are nearly level to steep. The vegetation consists mostly of xerophytic shrubs, grasses, and forbs. Many of these soils support more vegetation than other soils with an aridic moisture regime, presumably because they lose less water as runoff. Some of the soils on dunes support a few ephemeral plants or have a partial cover of xerophytic and ephemeral plants. The shifting dunes may be devoid of plants in normal years. Most of the deposits are of late-Pleistocene or younger age. These soils are used mainly for grazing. They are extensive in the Western United States.
For more information about soil classification using the UAE Keys to Soil Taxonomy, visit:
For more information about soil classification in the UAE, visit:
vdocument.in/united-arab-emirates-keys-to-soil-taxonomy.h...
The Rub' al Khali is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 square kilometres including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert. One very large pile of sand!!!
The desert is 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) long, and 500 kilometres (310 mi) wide. Its surface elevation varies from 800 metres (2,600 ft) in the southwest to around sea level in the northeast. The terrain is covered with sand dunes with heights up to 250 metres (820 ft), interspersed with gravel and gypsum plains. The sand is of a reddish-orange color due to the presence of feldspar. There are also brackish salt flats in some areas, such as the Umm al Samim area on the desert's eastern edge. Along the middle length of the desert there are a number of raised, hardened areas of calcium carbonate, gypsum, marl, or clay that were once the site of shallow lakes.
These lakes existed during periods from 6,000 to 5,000 years ago and 3,000 to 2,000 years ago. The lakes are thought to have formed as a result of "cataclysmic rainfall" similar to present-day monsoon rains and most probably lasted for only a few years. Evidence suggests that the lakes were home to a variety of flora and fauna. Fossil remains indicate the presence of several animal species, such as hippopotamus, water buffalo, and long-horned cattle. The lakes also contained small snails, ostracods, and when conditions were suitable, freshwater clams. Deposits of calcium carbonate and opal phytoliths indicate the presence of plants and algae.
There is also evidence of human activity dating from 3,000 to 2,000 years ago, including chipped flint tools, but no actual human remains have been found. The region is classified as "hyper-arid", with typical annual rainfall of less than 3 centimetres (1.2 in). Daily maximum temperatures average at 47 °C (117 °F) and can reach as high as 51 °C (124 °F). Fauna includes arachnids (e.g. scorpions) and rodents, while plants live throughout the Empty Quarter. As an ecoregion, the Rub' al Khali falls within the Arabian Desert and East Saharo-Arabian xeric shrublands. The Asiatic cheetahs, once widespread in Saudi Arabia, are regionally extinct from the desert.
Geologically, the Empty Quarter is one of the most oil-rich sites in the world. Vast oil reserves have been discovered underneath the sand dunes.[citation needed] Sheyba, at the northeastern edge of the Rub' al Khali, is a major light crude oil-producing site in Saudi Arabia. Ghawar, the largest oil field in the world, extends southward into the northernmost parts of the Empty Quarter.
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The alluvial plains physiographic region has three main components—alluvial fans, alluvial plains, and wadis. The alluvial plains and fans occur on both sides of the Hajar Mountains. On the western side, however, they are much more extensive (up to 20 km wide) than on the eastern side, where there is rarely more than 2–3 km from the mountain front to the coast.
Most of the alluvial plains are composed of gravel to boulders, with a general trend towards finer alluvium with distance from the mountain front. Near the mountains, the fan heads are usually incised, with channels cutting into coarse alluvium. The middle parts of the fans are generally flat with very low relief and with shallow channels up to 5 m wide. At the foot of most fans, the particle sizes are fine, often sand, with braided channels. In some cases these channels coalesce to form wadis that extend out into the adjacent sand dunes.
The Hajar mountain range has a wealth of attractions for the adventurous traveler, including trekking, rock climbing, canyoning, and off-road exploration. In addition to outdoor activities, there are numerous sights of historic, cultural, and geological interest.
Temperatures in the higher elevations tend to be on average 10-15°C cooler than Muscat, and snow, although very rare, is not unknown. In summer the mountains offer a retreat for those looking to escape the heat baking the rest of Oman and the Arabian peninsula.
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How can wind shape so elegantly little grains of sand into patterns that intersect at interesting angles - and then suddenly change the whole artistry of a dune? I think that no matter how many times you see a pattern in a pattern in a pattern that is a sand dune, you are forever mesmerized by the grandeur of the complexity of the physics. The flux of energy here is phenomenal and the sculptress exotic. To be caught in the shifting biting stinging sand is a whole other matter for then nature seems cruel, harsh, and so unjust. At times we love to walk the thin edge - the fine line left by the last puff of wind shifting and rolling sand grains. (Dr. Richard Arnold, former Director, Soil Survey Division, USDA-NRCS)
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This region lies in the south-west of the Emirate, adjacent to the border with Saudi Arabia. It constitutes linear dune fields of interlayered white carbonatic and red quartzite sands with minor exposure of Quaternary dunes and inter-dune formation.
The Rub' al Khali is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 square kilometres including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert. One very large pile of sand!!!
Typic Torripsamments, carbonatic, hyperthermic, are very deep sandy soils with carbonatic mineralogy. They occur on hummocky undulating to rolling plains, or undulating sand sheets, and dunes or variable size throughout the Emirate. They are typically excessively drained or somewhat excessively drained and have rapid or very rapid permeability. Dominant vegetation species recorded include Cyperus conglomeratus and Haloxylon salicornicum.
Torripsamments are the cool to hot Psamments of arid climates. They have an aridic (or torric) moisture regime and a temperature regime warmer than cryic. Many of these soils are on stable surfaces, some are on dunes, some are stabilized, and some are moving. Torripsamments consist of quartz, mixed sands, volcanic glass, or even gypsum and may have any color. Generally, they are neutral or calcareous and are nearly level to steep. The vegetation consists mostly of xerophytic shrubs, grasses, and forbs. Many of these soils support more vegetation than other soils with an aridic moisture regime, presumably because they lose less water as runoff. Some of the soils on dunes support a few ephemeral plants or have a partial cover of xerophytic and ephemeral plants. The shifting dunes may be devoid of plants in normal years. Most of the deposits are of late-Pleistocene or younger age. These soils are used mainly for grazing. They are extensive in the Western United States.
Psamments are the Entisols that have less than 35 percent (by volume) rock fragments and a texture of loamy fine sand or coarser in all layers (sandy loam lamellae are permitted) within the particle-size control section.
Entisols are the soils that have little or no evidence of the development of pedogenic horizons. Most Entisols have no diagnostic horizons other than an ochric epipedon. A few that have a sandy or sandy-skeletal particle-size class have a horizon that would be a cambic horizon were it not for the particle-size class exclusion. On many landscapes the soil material is not in place long enough for pedogenic processes to form distinctive horizons. Some of these soils are on steep, actively eroding slopes, on flood plains or glacial outwash plains that receive new deposits of alluvium at frequent intervals, or are wind-blown deposits. Most Entisols in the fine-earth fraction (<2mm) consist primarily of quartz or other minerals that are resistant to the weathering needed to form diagnostic horizons.
For more information about soil classification using the UAE Keys to Soil Taxonomy, visit:
agrifs.ir/sites/default/files/United%20Arab%20Emirates%20...
For more photos related to soils and landscapes visit:
Farmers bring their loose grass to a central location where it is baled and prepared for shipping and sale. I observed two areas where this occurred. The other was along the al Ain truck road.
www.flickr.com/photos/jakelley/23087868662/in/album-72157...
Most of the UAE's cultivated land is taken up by date palms, which in the early 1990s numbered about 4 million. They are cultivated in the arc of small oases that constitute the Al Liwa Oasis. Both federal and emirate governments provide incentives to farmers. For example, the government offers a 50 percent subsidy on fertilizers, seeds, and pesticides. It also provides loans for machinery and technical assistance. The emirates have forty-one agricultural extension units as well as several experimental farms and agricultural research stations. The number of farmers rose from about 4,000 in the early 1970s to 18,265 in 1988.
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The Nakai series (foreground) consists of deep, and very deep, well drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils that formed in mixed alluvium and eolian deposits derived mainly from sandstone and shale. Nakai soils are on river terraces, sand sheets on structural benches, cuestas, fans and broad valleys and have slopes of 0 to 15 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 7 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 54 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplocalcids
USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for livestock grazing. The potential vegetation is Indian ricegrass, galleta grass, dropseed, snakeweed, Mormon-tea, and Russian thistle.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Utah and northern Arizona. The series is extensive, about 225,000 acres.
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/N/NAKAI.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/see/#nakai
Midground: Hoskinnini soils and Rock outcrop. The Hoskinnini series consists of shallow, well drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils that formed in material weathered from sandstone and shale. Hoskinnini soils are on dissected pediments and have slopes of 1 to 12 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 8 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 55 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Haplargids
USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for livestock grazing. The potential vegetation is Indian ricegrass, galleta grass, dropseed, snakeweed, Mormon-tea, and Russian thistle.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Utah and northern Arizona. The series is moderately extensive, about 75,000 acres.
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/H/HOSKINNINI.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/
Rock outcrop are miscellaneous areas that have little or no identifiable soil and thus supports little or no vegetation without major reclamation. They are exposures of bare bedrock. If needed, map units can be named according to the kind of rock, e.g., “Rock outcrop, chalk,” “Rock outcrop, limestone,” and “Rock outcrop, gypsum.”
Background: Lithic or Typic Torriorthents and Rock outcrop. These are the dry Orthents of cool to hot, arid regions. They have an aridic (or torric) moisture regime and a temperature regime warmer than cryic. Generally, they are neutral or calcareous and are on moderate to very steep slopes. A few are on gentle slopes. Many of the gently sloping soils are on rock pediments, are very shallow, have a sandy-skeletal particle-size class, or are salty. Others are on fans where sediments are recent but have little organic carbon. The vegetation on Torriorthents commonly is sparse and consists mostly of xerophytic shrubs and ephemeral grasses and forbs. The vegetation on a few of the soils is saltgrass. Torriorthents are used mainly for grazing. They are extensive in the Western United States.
Lithic Torriorthents have a lithic contact within 50 cm of the soil surface.
For additional information about soil classification using Soil Taxonomy, visit:
sites.google.com/site/dinpuithai/Home
For more information about describing soils using the USDA-Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_052523...
For more information about describing soils using the USDA-Soil Survey Manual, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/ref/?cid=n...
Waimea is a place where stop signs read “Whoa,” instead of “Stop.” This is the home of Kahua Ranch a working sheep and cattle ranch that allows you to learn about the paniolo lifestyle. Here you can explore the scenic landscapes of Waimea by horseback or ATV. Then visit An Evening at Kahua Ranch to fully experience the best of Waimea’s cowboy country.
Redoximorphic features (RMFs) consist of color patterns in a soil that are caused by loss (depletion) or gain (concentration) of pigment compared to the matrix color, formed by oxidation/reduction of iron and/or manganese coupled with their removal, translocation, or accrual; or a soil matrix color controlled by the presence of iron.
These color separations are used by soil scientists to document the presence of an active water table, both epi- and endo- saturation. However, changes in color may be an indication of a much older environment in which the features formed, not current saturation and reduction processes or as residual color inherited from the parent material.
One technique that helps determine if the feature is contemporary is the sharpness of the feature boundary. A color transition that is gradual or diffuse is commonly associated with contemporary aquic conditions. Transitions that are clear or sharp and more distinct are generally associated with relic or ancient soil environments. In addition, if the concentrations are relic, they tend to exhibit brittleness, although plinthite is commonly brittle even when present in a contemporary aquic regime.
A key distinction of plinthite is that it irreversibly hardens upon exposure to repeated wetting and drying, especially when directly exposed to rain and sun forming cemented materials (nodules, plates, concretions, or eventually ironstone). In situ, these iron concentrations range from noncemented to indurated.
The red redox concentrations in this image are potentially plinthite. They have a very firm rupture resistance, could be removed as a discrete body, and exhibited progressive hardening in the surrounding exposed road cuts.
The photo is from a depth of about 1.5 to 3 meters:
www.flickr.com/photos/jakelley/53416095121/in/dateposted-...
Hardened soil aggregates:
www.flickr.com/photos/jakelley/53414592606/in/album-72157...
For more information about a plinthic horizon, visit;
www.researchgate.net/publication/242649722_Rationale_for_...
or;
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S00167061220043...
This dramatic mountain range has rock climbing, canyoning, and off-road exploration. In addition to outdoor activities, there are numerous sights of historic, cultural, and geological interest.
Temperatures in the higher elevations tend to be on average 10-15°C cooler than cities in the valley, and snow, although very rare, is not unknown. In summer the mountains offer a retreat for those looking to escape the heat baking the rest of the Arabian peninsula.
For more information about soil classification in the UAE, visit:
vdocument.in/united-arab-emirates-keys-to-soil-taxonomy.h...
For more information about describing and sampling soils, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/field...
or Chapter 3 of the Soil Survey manual:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/The-Soil-Su...
For additional information on "How to Use the Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils" (video reference), visit:
Foreground:
Gypsic Aquisalids from the interior of the UAE. Gypsic Aquisalids are the Aquisalids that have a gypsic or petrogypsic horizon with an upper boundary within 100 cm of the soil surface. In the Unted States, these soils occur in Texas and Colorado.
Aquisalids are the salty soils in wet areas in the deserts where capillary rise and evaporation of water concentrate the salts near the surface. Some of these soils have redoximorphic depletions and concentrations. In other soils redoximorphic features may not be evident because of a high pH and the associated low redox potential, which inhibit iron and manganese reduction. These soils occur dominantly in depressional areas where ground water saturates the soils at least part of the year. The vegetation on these soils generally is sparse, consisting of salt-tolerant shrubs, grasses, and forbs. Although these soils may hold water at a tension less than 1500 kPa, the dissolved salt content makes the soils physiologically dry.
Salids are most common in depressions (playas) in the deserts or in closed basins in the wetter areas bordering the deserts. In North Africa and in the Near East, such depressions are referred to as Sebkhas or Chotts, depending on the presence or absence of surface water for prolonged periods. Under the arid environment and hot temperatures, accumulation of salts commonly occurs when there is a supply of salts and a net upward movement of water in the soils. In some areas a salic horizon has formed in salty parent materials without the presence of ground water. The most common form of salt is sodium chloride (halite), but sulfates (thenardite, mirabilite, and hexahydrite) and other salts may also occur.
The concept of Salids is one of accumulation of an excessive amount of salts that are more soluble than gypsum. This is implicit in the definition, which requires a minimum absolute EC of 30 dS/m in 1:1 extract (about 2 percent salt) and a product of EC and thickness of at least 900. As a rule, Salids are unsuitable for agricultural use, unless the salts are leached out. Leaching the salts is an expensive undertaking, particularly if there is no natural outlet for the drainage water. Two great groups are recognized—Aquisalids, which are saturated with water for 1 month or more during the year, and Haplosalids, which are drier.
Background:
A Typic Torripsamment. These areas are narrow sinuous dune ridges that form linear or roughly rectangular patterns around deflation plains and inland sabkha flats. The dunes have a relative relief of about 80m. Dune formations are variable due to multi-directional winds, and include barchanoid, transverse and star shapes. The star dunes are often higher than the surrounding dunes and form impressive and imposing features in the landscape. A white, gray or red surface veneer of fine to coarse sand and fine gravel occurs on the gentle slopes of the dunes adjacent to the sabkhas and deflation plains.
The land is used as low-density grazing. The map unit has sparse vegetation cover with Cyperus conglomeratus and Zygophyllum spp on the lower slopes of the dunes together with Calligonum comosum on the slopes and slip faces. The map unit forms part of the Cyperetum-Zygophylletum vegetation community.
The soils of this map unit are dominated by Typic Torripsamments, mixed, hyperthermic (85% AD158) in the high dunes. Other soils are Typic Petrogypsids, sandy, mixed, hyperthermic (5% AD123), Petrogypsic Haplosalids, sandy, mixed, hyperthermic (5% AD143) and Gypsic Haplosalids, sandy, mixed, hyperthermic (5% AD135) that are confined to the deflation flats.
For more information about describing soils, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_052523...
For additional information about soil classification using Soil Taxonomy, visit:
sites.google.com/site/dinpuithai/Home
For more information about soil classification using the UAE Keys to Soil Taxonomy, visit:
agrifs.ir/sites/default/files/United%20Arab%20Emirates%20...
The Goosenecks is part of the Goosenecks State Park in the U.S. state of Utah, overlooking a deep meander of the San Juan River. The park is located near the southern border of the state a short distance from Mexican Hat, Utah. Millions of years ago, the Monument Upwarp forced the river to carve incised meanders over 1,000 feet (300 m) deep as the surrounding landscape slowly rose in elevation. Eroded by water, wind, frost, and gravity, this is a classic location for observing incised meanders.
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The Rub' al Khali is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 square kilometres including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert. One very large pile of sand!!!
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Soil scientists record the characteristics of the pedons, associated plant communities, geology, landforms, and other features that they study. They describe the kind and arrangement of soil horizons and their color, texture, size and shape of soil aggregates, kind and amount of rock fragments, distribution of plant roots, reaction, and other features that enable them to classify and identify soils. They describe plant species present (their combinations, productivity, and condition) to classify plant communities, correlate them to the soils with which they are typically associated, and predict their response to management and change.
The Icknuun soil series (a hydric soil) consists of very deep, very poorly drained soils that formed in organic material interlayered with thin strata of mineral material. Icknuun soils are in depressions on till plains. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent.
Hydric soils are formed under conditions of saturation, flooding, or ponding long enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions in the upper part (Federal Register, 1994). Most hydric soils exhibit characteristic morphologies that result from repeated periods of saturation or inundation that last more than a few days.
To download the latest version of "Field Indicators of Hydric Soils" and additional technical references, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/ref/?cid=s...
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Euic Fluvaquentic Cryohemists
USE AND VEGETATION: Wildlife habitat and recreation. The natural vegetation is mainly sedges, sphagnum moss, bog birch, Labrador tea, and other low-growing shrubs and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Cook Inlet-Susitna Lowlands. The series is of small extent.
For a detailed description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/I/ICKNUUN.html
For geographic distribution, visit:
The Rub' al Khali is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 square kilometres including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert. One very large pile of sand!!!
For more photos related to soils and landscapes visit:
Near Falaj Al Mualla, Umm Al Quwain, United Arab Emirates. The earlier watchtowers, which were built in the 19th century, were circular in shape. This was the best design as there were no corners that could be used by people to hide, however, they were tougher to construct. In the early part of the last century, the towers were rectangular in shape, as many more were needed to be built quickly. They were easier and cheaper to make. As progress and peace arrived, these defence edifices slowly fell into ruin and quite a few collapsed into obscurity. Nearly a century later, the Historical Buildings Section of Dubai Municipality is rebuilding them in a bid to restore and protect the emirate's architectural heritage.
Located just 30kms off the centre of Umm Al Quwain city, Falaj Al Mualla is an old town built in the 19th century that is most well known for its four iconic attractions, the fort and the three watchtowers. The fort was built in 1825.
The soils of this map unit are dominated by Typic Torripsamments, mixed, hyperthermic. These are the hot Psamments of arid climates. They have an aridic (or torric) moisture regime and a temperature regime warmer than cryic. Many of these soils are on stable surfaces, some are on dunes, some are stabilized, and some are moving. Torripsamments consist of quartz, mixed sands, volcanic glass, or even gypsum and may have any color. Generally, they are neutral or calcareous and are nearly level to steep. The vegetation consists mostly of xerophytic shrubs, grasses, and forbs. Many of these soils support more vegetation than other soils with an aridic moisture regime, presumably because they lose less water as runoff. Some of the soils on dunes support a few ephemeral plants or have a partial cover of xerophytic and ephemeral plants. The shifting dunes may be devoid of plants in normal years. Most of the deposits are of late-Pleistocene or younger age. These soils are used mainly for grazing. They are extensive in the Western United States.
For more information about soil classification using the UAE Keys to Soil Taxonomy, visit:
agrifs.ir/sites/default/files/United%20Arab%20Emirates%20...
The Netflix film "Kiss the Ground" treats soil with the respect a living resource deserves, featuring no-till farming, as seen here, as one positive feature of regenerative agriculture. Movement web site:
Leading edge of a sand sheet. Sand sheets are relatively flat, undulating plots of sand. They form approximately 40 percent of aeolian depositional surfaces. Sand sheets exist where grain size is too large, or wind velocities too low, for dunes to form.
The Rub' al Khali is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 square kilometres including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert.
How can wind shape so elegantly little grains of sand into patterns that intersect at interesting angles - and then suddenly change the whole artistry of a dune? I think that no matter how many times you see a pattern in a pattern in a pattern that is a sand dune, you are forever mesmerized by the grandeur of the complexity of the physics. The flux of energy here is phenomenal and the sculptress exotic. To be caught in the shifting biting stinging sand is a whole other matter for then nature seems cruel, harsh, and so unjust. At times we love to walk the thin edge - the fine line left by the last puff of wind shifting and rolling sand grains. (Dr. Richard Arnold, former Director, Soil Survey Division, USDA-NRCS)
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The drive along the Al Qua'a-Um al Zamool road bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia is amazing. It is the best area to view the largest star dunes in this area of the Rub' al Khali. The Rub' al Khali is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 square kilometres including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert. One very large pile of sand!!!
For more photos related to soils and landscapes visit:
The grey heron, Ardea cinerea is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in the milder south and west, but many birds retreat in winter from the ice in colder regions.
Note the accumulation of iron (redox feature) and areas of reduction (gray color) from the lower subsoil of an Augusta soil.
For a detailed description of the soil, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/A/AUGUSTA.html
Redoximorphic features (RMFs) consist of color patterns in a soil that are caused by loss (depletion) or gain (concentration) of pigment compared to the matrix color, formed by oxidation/reduction of iron and/or manganese coupled with their removal, translocation, or accrual.
For more information about describing and sampling soils, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/field...
or Chapter 3 of the Soil Survey manual:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/The-Soil-Su...
For additional information on "How to Use the Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils" (video reference), visit:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_hQaXV7MpM
For additional information about soil classification using USDA-NRCS Soil Taxonomy, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/keys-...
or;
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/soil-...
For more information about Hydric Soils and their Field Indicators, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/field...
Today is World Soil Day. Therefore, I will be sharing some photos from my research work. Healthy soils lead to healthy life and environment. The opposite is true, as well.
What you see here is a soil profile from the Canadian Prairies. The soil type is humic vertisol. Humic vertisols are excellent soils for agriculture due to their high water and nutrient holding capacity. At the same time, they are heavy soils as well. As such, they need some land drainage for better crop production.
A representative soil profile and landscape of an Andisol from Ecuador. (Photos courtesy of Stefaan Dondeyne, revised.)
Andosols develop in glass-rich volcanic ejecta under almost any climate (except under hyperarid climate conditions). However, Andosols may also develop in other silicate-rich materials under acid weathering in humid and perhumid climates. Many Andosols belong to Kuroboku (Japan), Andisols (United States of America), Andosols and Vitrisols (France), and Volcanic ash soils (Russia).
An umbric horizon (from Latin umbra, shade) is a relatively thick, dark-colored surface horizon with a low base saturation and a moderate to high content of organic matter. This pedon is marginal pachic. Pachic (from Greek pachys, thick): having a mollic or umbric horizon ≥ 50 cm thick. (WRB)
For more information about soil classification using the WRB system, visit:
Agriculture is North Dakota's largest industry. About 90 percent of the state's land is used for crop farming and cattle ranching with about 24 million acres of cropland. On average, North Dakota producers plant about 7.5 million acres of wheat with production totaling 320 million bushels. North Dakota and Kansas are most often the top two wheat producing states.
The climate, rich soil and flat land of the Northern Plains are perfectly suited to the production of spring wheat and durum. These classes of wheat are planted in April and May with harvest generally taking place from late July through September. The time lapse between sowing spring wheat and plant head development is usually 65 to 80 days. It takes another 20 to 30 days for the kernels to ripen for harvest.
The soils are commonly the Williams soil series. The Williams series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately slow or slowly permeable soils formed in calcareous glacial till. These soils are on glacial till plains and moraines and have slope of 0 to 35 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about 40 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation is about 14 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Argiustolls
Depth to carbonates ranges from 10 to 30 inches. The soil typically contains 1 to 10 percent coarse fragments but ranges up to 20 percent. Stony and cobbly phases are recognized.
USE AND VEGETATION: Cultivated areas are used for growing small grains, flax, corn, hay or pasture. Native vegetation is western wheatgrass, needleandthread, blue grama, green needlegrass and prairie junegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central South Dakota, central, and northwestern North Dakota and northeastern Montana. The soil is extensive.
For more information about this soil, visit:
www.soils4teachers.org/files/s4t/k12outreach/nd-state-soi...
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/W/WILLIAMS.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
Sand dunes are lessons in artistry - in how a slight change can modify the external outcome quickly and irreversibly. If we think a ripple pattern to be unique, maybe even exotic, does its beauty exist if no one sees it? (Richard Arnold, former Director, Soil Survey Division, USDA-NRCS)
______________________________
Foreground: Typic Petrogypsids. These soils are moderately deep and sandy overlying a petrogypsic layer. The soils are typically moderately well to excessively drained. They occur on flats and gentle slopes within level to gently undulating deflation plains and occasionally on sand sheets. They are formed from eolian sands that overlie petrogypsic materials.
These soils are used for rangeland grazing of camels though vegetation cover is frequently less than 5%. Common vegetation species recorded are Haloxylon salicornicum with occasional Zygophyllum spp. and Stipagrostis plumosa.
The main feature of this soil is the moderate depth (<100cm) to a petrogypsic horizon. The soil material above the hardpan is sandy and also contains a gypsum horizon. The limited depth to the hardpan layer is the main restriction for this soil. This restricts water movement, moisture retention and presents a barrier to root development further restricting the availability of nutrients. The presence of gypsum suggests that salinity might be a problem under irrigation. Soil subsidence may also be an issue as gypsum is leached from the soil under irrigation. This soil is considered unsuitable for irrigated agriculture.
Background: Typic Torripsamments consociation, very high dunes and flats consists of narrow sinuous dune ridges that form linear or roughly rectangular patterns around deflation plains and inland sabkha flats. The dunes have a relative relief of about 80m. Dune formations are variable due to multi-directional winds, and include barchanoid, transverse and star shapes. The star dunes are often higher than the surrounding dunes and form impressive and imposing features in the landscape. A white, gray or red surface veneer of fine to coarse sand and fine gravel occurs on the gentle slopes of the dunes adjacent to the sabkhas and deflation plains.
Small areas of sabkha flat are included within this map unit. The map unit occurs as linear polygons in the south-eastern part of the area adjacent to Oman and Saudi Arabian border. Polygons range in size from 60ha to 94,557ha. The land is used as low density grazing. The map unit has sparse vegetation cover with Cyperus conglomeratus and Zygophyllum spp on the lower slopes of the dunes together with Calligonum comosum on the slopes and slip faces. The map unit forms part of the Cyperetum-Zygophylletum vegetation community.
The soils of this map unit are dominated by Typic Torripsamments, mixed, hyperthermic (85% AD158) in the high dunes. Other soils are Typic Petrogypsids, sandy, mixed, hyperthermic (5% AD123), Petrogypsic Haplosalids, sandy, mixed, hyperthermic (5% AD143) and Gypsic Haplosalids, sandy, mixed, hyperthermic (5% AD135) that are confined to the deflation flats.
For more information about soil classification using the UAE Keys to Soil Taxonomy, visit:
agrifs.ir/sites/default/files/United%20Arab%20Emirates%20...
For additional information about soil classification using Soil Taxonomy, visit:
sites.google.com/site/dinpuithai/Home
For more information about describing soils using the USDA-Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_052523...
Watching the sun go down on a drive back to Abu Dhabi. Note the sand blowing across the dune as the wind picks up at late day in the Empty Quarter area of the UAE giving rise to the brilliant yellow-orange colors. The Rub' al Khali is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 square kilometres including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert.
For more photos related to soils and landscapes visit:
The alluvial plains physiographic region has three main components—alluvial fans, alluvial plains, and wadis. The alluvial plains and fans occur on both sides of the Hajar Mountains. On the western side, however, they are much more extensive (up to 20 km wide) than on the eastern side, where there is rarely more than 2–3 km from the mountain front to the coast.
Skeletal soils have a total content of rock fragments of 35 percent or more (by volume), whereas--
fragmental soils have a fine-earth component of less than 10 percent (including associated medium and finer pores) of the total volume.
The fine-earth component includes any particle less than 2.0 mm (.078 inches) and is divided into three classes of size: sand, silt, or clay.
Most of the alluvial plains are composed of gravel to boulders, with a general trend towards finer alluvium with distance from the mountain front. Near the mountains, the fan heads are usually incised, with channels cutting into coarse alluvium. The middle parts of the fans are generally flat with very low relief and with shallow channels up to 5 m wide. At the foot of most fans, the particle sizes are fine, often sand, with braided channels. In some cases these channels coalesce to form wadis that extend out into the adjacent sand dunes.
For more information about describing and sampling soils, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/field...
or Chapter 3 of the Soil Survey manual:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/The-Soil-Su...
For additional information on "How to Use the Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils" (video reference), visit:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_hQaXV7MpM
For additional information about soil classification using USDA-NRCS Soil Taxonomy, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/keys-...
or;
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/soil-...
Rangelands are grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts that are grazed by domestic livestock or wild animals. Types of rangelands include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and shrublands, woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, steppes, and tundras. Rangelands do not include forests lacking grazable understory vegetation, barren desert, farmland, or land covered by solid rock, concrete and/or glaciers.
Rangelands are distinguished from pasture lands because they grow primarily native vegetation, rather than plants established by humans. Rangelands are also managed principally with practices such as managed livestock grazing and prescribed fire rather than more intensive agricultural practices of seeding, irrigation, and the use of fertilizers.
Grazing is an important use of rangelands but the term "rangeland" is not synonymous with "grazinglands". Livestock grazing can be used to manage rangelands by harvesting forage to produce livestock, changing plant composition or reducing fuel loads.
Fire is also an important regulator of range vegetation, whether set by humans or resulting from lightning. Fires tend to reduce the abundance of woody plants and promote herbaceous plants including grasses, forbs, and grass-like plants. The suppression or reduction of periodic wildfires from desert shrublands, savannas, or woodlands frequently invites the dominance of trees and shrubs to the near exclusion of grasses and forbs.
The valley consists of Fluvaquents and Torrifluvents. Fluvaquents are the stratified, wet soils on flood plains. The stratification reflects deposition of sediments under changing currents and in shifting channels. The sediments are of Holocene age and have a relatively high content of organic carbon at a considerable depth when compared with many other wet, mineral soils. The materials have dried or have partially dried from time to time as they accumulated, and the n values are low. These soils are extensive along large rivers, particularly in humid areas. The ground water fluctuates from a level near or above the soil surface to about 100 cm below the soil surface and is sometimes below 200 cm. Generally, Fluvaquents are nearly level. Many Fluvaquents support either a deciduous or a coniferous forest. Some have been cleared and protected from flooding and are used as cropland or pasture.
Torrifluvents are the Fluvents of arid climates. They have an aridic (or torric) moisture regime and a temperature regime warmer than cryic. Most of them have a high pH value and are calcareous, and a few are somewhat salty. The soils are subject to flooding, but most are not flooded frequently or for long periods. The larger areas that have a favorable topography and are close to a source of water commonly are irrigated. The natural vegetation on the Torrifluvents in the United States consisted mostly of grasses, xerophytic shrubs, and cacti, but in some parts of the world the only vegetation on the soils has been irrigated crops because the sediments accumulated while the soils were being cultivated.
The vegetated sideslopes are mapped as Stony Colluvial Land (Torriorthents). Colluvial land forms where sheet erosion, water erosion, downward creep, or a combination of all transport loose unconsolidated debris from upslope to the base of the slope depositing different types of heterogeneous rocks and debris of varying sizes, forming what is called “colluvium”.
Colluvium consists of poorly sorted angular fragments of various sizes from silt to rock debris, and sometimes slabs of bedrock, facing up the slope as if indicating its original location.
Torriorthents are the dry Orthents of cool to hot, arid regions. They have an aridic (or torric) moisture regime and a temperature regime warmer than cryic. Generally, they are neutral or calcareous and are on moderate to very steep slopes. A few are on gentle slopes. Many of the gently sloping soils are on rock pediments, are very shallow, have a sandy-skeletal particle-size class, or are salty. Others are on fans where sediments are recent but have little organic carbon. The vegetation on Torriorthents commonly is sparse and consists mostly of xerophytic shrubs and ephemeral grasses and forbs. The vegetation on a few of the soils is saltgrass. Torriorthents are used mainly for grazing. They are extensive in the Western United States.
The valley walls are Rock outcrop. Rock outcrop are miscellaneous areas that have little or no identifiable soil and thus supports little or no vegetation without major reclamation. They are exposures of bare bedrock. If needed, map units can be named according to the kind of rock, e.g., “Rock outcrop, chalk,” “Rock outcrop, limestone,” and “Rock outcrop, gypsum.”
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The Angels Landing Trail is one of the most famous and thrilling hikes in the national park system. The trail runs along a narrow rock fin with extremely deep drop-offs on both sides. The trail culminates at a lofty perch, with magnificent views in every direction. Rarely is such an intimidating path so frequented by hikers. The narrow ridge with deep chasms on each of its flanks is an allure for the most intrepid of hikers or novices. Climbers scale its big wall; hikers pull themselves up by chains and sightseers stand in awe at its stunning nobility. The towering monolith is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the Southwest.
For additional information about soil classification using Soil Taxonomy, visit:
sites.google.com/site/dinpuithai/Home
For more information about describing soils using the USDA-Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_052523...
For more information about describing soils using the USDA-Soil Survey Manual, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/ref/?cid=n...
Hatta is an exclave (a portion of territory of one state surrounded by territory of another) of the Dubai Emirate, in the United Arab Emirates. Formerly an Omani territory, its ownership was transferred to Dubai in or around 1850. It's located high in the Hajar Mountains. The restored, centuries-old Hatta Heritage Village features a defensive tower and stone houses with palm-frond roofs. Exhibits in the complex include traditional weapons, furniture and crockery. At the nearby Hatta Dam, the Hatta Reservoir Visitor Point overlooks the striking green water.
The old village of Hatta includes two prominent military towers from the 18th century and the Juma mosque, which was built in 1780 and is the oldest building in the city.
Since it is located in the mountains, traditionally it was the summer habitation of Dubai-based families escaping the heat and humidity of the coast. Since the early 1980s, Hatta has been a popular destination for adventuring tourists as well as local families.
Petrogypsids are the dominant soils in the valley. These soils are moderately deep and sandy overlying a petrogypsic layer. The soils are typically moderately well to excessively drained. They occur on flats and gentle slopes within level to gently undulating deflation plains and occasionally on sand sheets. They are formed from eolian sands that overlie petrogypsic materials.
These soils are used for rangeland grazing of camels though vegetation cover is frequently less than 5%. Common vegetation species recorded are Haloxylon salicornicum with occasional Zygophyllum spp. and Stipagrostis plumosa.
The main feature of this soil is the moderate depth (<100cm) to a petrogypsic horizon. The soil material above the hardpan is sandy and also contains a gypsum horizon. The limited depth to the hardpan layer is the main restriction for this soil. This restricts water movement, moisture retention and presents a barrier to root development further restricting the availability of nutrients. The presence of gypsum suggests that salinity might be a problem under irrigation. Soil subsidence may also be an issue as gypsum is leached from the soil under irrigation. This soil is considered unsuitable for irrigated agriculture.l
For more information about describing soils using the USDA-Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_052523..
For more information about soil classification using the UAE Keys to Soil Taxonomy, visit:
agrifs.ir/sites/default/files/United%20Arab%20Emirates%20...
Waimea is a place where stop signs read “Whoa,” instead of “Stop.” This is the home of Kahua Ranch a working sheep and cattle ranch that allows you to learn about the paniolo lifestyle. Here you can explore the scenic landscapes of Waimea by horseback or ATV. Visit Kahua Ranch to fully experience the best of Waimea’s cowboy country.
The soils are commonly the Palapalai series. The Palapalai series consists of deep and very deep, well drained soils that formed from basic volcanic ash over basaltic lava. Palapalai soils are on ash fields and have slopes of 6 to 50 percent. Mean annual rainfall is about 1650 millimeters (65 inches) and mean annual temperature is about 17 degrees C. (63 degrees F.)
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Hydrous, ferrihydritic, isothermic Eutric Hydrudands
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Palapalai soils are on southwest, middle elevation, leeward slopes of Kohala Mountain at elevations from 760 to 1220 meters (2,500 to 4,000 feet). These soils are on all hillslope positions of gently sloping to moderately steep ash fields on lava flows that are 750,000 to 250,000 years old and very steep cinder cones. Slope gradients range from 0 to 50 percent. The soils formed in basic volcanic ash over basaltic lava. The mean annual rainfall ranges from 1,000 to 2,300 millimeters (40 to 90 inches), with most of the rainfall occurring from October through April. The mean annual pan evaporation ranges from 1,020 to 1,780 meters (40 to 70 inches). The mean annual temperature ranges from 16 to 19 degrees C. (60 to 67 degrees F.) The mean summer soil temperature and the mean winter soil temperature differ by less than 6 degrees C. (11 degrees F.)
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Kahua, Kehena, and Waimea soils. Kahua soils have an aquic soil moisture regime. Kehena soils have a mottled horizon and are 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches) deep over bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to high runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used principally for livestock grazing. The natural vegetation is kikuyugrass (Pennisetum clandestinum), rattailgrass (Sporobulus indicus), bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) and white clover (Trifolium repens).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: This series occurs on the leeward slopes of Kohala mountain. It is approximately 8,900 acres in extent. MLRA 160.
The alluvial plains physiographic region has three main components—alluvial fans, alluvial plains, and wadis. The alluvial plains and fans occur on both sides of the Hajar Mountains. On the western side, however, they are much more extensive (up to 20 km wide) than on the eastern side, where there is rarely more than 2–3 km from the mountain front to the coast.
Most of the alluvial plains are composed of gravel to boulders, with a general trend towards finer alluvium with distance from the mountain front. Near the mountains, the fan heads are usually incised, with channels cutting into coarse alluvium. The middle parts of the fans are generally flat with very low relief and with shallow channels up to 5 m wide. At the foot of most fans, the particle sizes are fine, often sand, with braided channels. In some cases these channels coalesce to form wadis that extend out into the adjacent sand dunes.
The Hajar mountain range has a wealth of attractions for the adventurous traveler, including trekking, rock climbing, canyoning, and off-road exploration. In addition to outdoor activities, there are numerous sights of historic, cultural, and geological interest.
Temperatures in the higher elevations tend to be on average 10-15°C cooler than Muscat, and snow, although very rare, is not unknown. In summer the mountains offer a retreat for those looking to escape the heat baking the rest of Oman and the Arabian peninsula.