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Particle-Size Distribution Characterization for the Coarse Fraction of a Granite Soil: III. The Coarse Fraction of a Granite Sand¹

ABSTRACT

The object of this study was to test the previously developed two-parameter incomplete gamma function as a descriptor for the > 0.002-mm fraction of some semiarid, sandy, granite-derived soils from south-central Africa (southern Rhodesia). Samples were taken from profiles at five locations. Three of these locations had been previously selected for sampling disintegrating granite, and one was a medium rainfall site. Particle-size distributions were obtained using the standard sieving and pipette method. For materials > 10 mm Martin's diameter was measured directly. The incomplete gamma described the data reasonably well. The two distribution parameters, , the weathering index, and , the scale factor, varied as expected. The mean and standard deviation increased with depth as expected. On the basis of the behavior of the profiles tested were separated into two groups. Grouping according to the variation of yielded the same two groups. The difference between the two groups could perhaps be the degree of development. However, more comparisons are necessary to check this.

¹ Contribution from the Dep. of Agriculture, Univ. of Rhodesia, Salisbury. Project no. 1329.

² Lecturer in Soil Science, Dep. of Agriculture, Univ. of Rhodesia, Salisbury.