SSSAJ Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Published in Soil Sci Soc Am J 44:643-649 (1980)
© 1980 Soil Science Society of America
677 S. Segoe Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Aba-Husayn, M. M.
Right arrow Articles by Lee, S. Y.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Aba-Husayn, M. M.
Right arrow Articles by Lee, S. Y.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Aba-Husayn, M. M.
Right arrow Articles by Lee, S. Y.

Mineralogy of Saudi Arabian Soils: Southwestern Region1

M. M. Aba-Husayn, J. B. Dixon and S. Y. Lee2

ABSTRACT

Mineralogical properties of soils along a 500-km north-south transect in the mountainous Asir region were investigated. The transect represented areas of wide variations in climate, parent material, and topography. Soils developed on stable landscapes at higher elevation (> 2,000 m) have well-developed profiles and near neutral soil pH's. Soils developed on alluvial terraces near wadi banks at lower elevations (> 1,500 m) have deep but less developed profiles, and slightly greater than neutral pH's with carbonates present. Quartz, feldspars, and micaceous minerals are the major components of the silt and sand fractions of the soils. Clay fractions of the soils are composed mainly of kaolinite, smectite, vermiculite, mica and chlorite minerals. Kaolinite is the most abundant clay mineral of the soils developed on well-drained highland areas. Smectite is the most abundant clay mineral in the alluvial soils developed on lower terrace areas.

NOTES

1 Contribution from Texas Agric. Exp. Stn., College Station, TX 77843, and Research and Development, Ministry of Agric. and Water, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

2 Formerly Deputy Minister for Research and Development, Ministry of Agric. and Water, Saudi Arabia; and Professor of Soil Mineralogy and Research Associate, Texas A&M Univ. Present address of M. M. Aba-Husayn: president, Harad Agric. and Animal Production Co., P.O. Box 2557, Riyadh. Saudi Arabia; and S. Y. Lee: Environmental Sci. Div., Oak Ridge Nat'l. Lab.

Received for publication June 21, 1979. Accepted for publication December 10, 1979.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
The SCI Journals Agronomy Journal Crop Science
Journal of Natural Resources
and Life Sciences Education		 Vadose Zone Journal
Journal of Plant Registrations Journal of
Environmental Quality		 The Plant Genome
Copyright © 1980 by the Soil Science Society of America.