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Abstract SUMMARY This work deals with valleys (Wadis) in the southern area of Sinai Peninsula, where ten profiles representing six of these valleys were prepared. The studied valleys namely are: 1- Wadi Sidr: represented by profile I. 2- Wadi Sidri: represented by profiles 2, 3 and 4 . 3- Wadi Araba El- Soghier: represented by profiles 5 and 6 • 4- Wadi El- Awage : represented by profiles 7 and 8 5- Wadi Mehash: represented by profile 9. 6- Wadi Abu- Gerf: represented by profile 10. Soil profiles were examined and morphologically described taken into consideration some important features such as topography, slope, vegetation, ... etc. soil samples representing the sub-sequent horizons or layers of each profile were removed for sake of further ph Y sic a l , _~hem ica I and min era log ica I a na 1y se s • The main results can be briefly summarized as follows: 1- The soils texture, in general, is coarse, where the sand comprises the dominant fraction except one - 141 - profile in Wadi £1- Awage (profile 8) where the texture is silty clay or even clay in the deepest layer. 2- The soil content of gravels seems to represent a serieus proplem in profiles 5, 6 (Wadi Arba £l-Soghier) and profile 7 (Wadi £1- Awage), profile 9 (Wadi Mehash), and profile 10 (Wadi Abu Gerf) with values between 10 to 57.00 % . 3- Soil organic matter was ev idently low ranging in the surface layer, between 0.13 % in Wadi Mehash and 0.87 in Wadi Sidr soils. ..- 4- The studies soils can be described generally as calcareous soils, showing lime content exceeding 50 % , however, this content low in some case where the miner values 0.55 % was recorded in the deepest layer of profile 7 (Wadi El - Awage). 5- Concerning salinity and sodicity deterioration the soils of Wadi Araba £1- Soghier (profiles 5, 6) and profile 7 (in Wadi £1 .- Awage) can be classified as normal soils free of both salinity and sodicity, all the other s0 i 1s are a ffec ted wit h sal ub le sal tsin 0ne 0 r rnare layer of the prof”ile meanwhile sodicity was detected only in prof ile 3 (Wad i S idr i ) and 8 (Wad i EI- Awage) yielding a - 142 - non saline sodic soil in the upper two layer of profile 3 (Wadi Sidri) and the surface one in profile 8 (Wadi EI- Awage). 6- The soil pH are occuring at the alkaline side, more than 7.3. However, values more than 8.9 were recorded in the soils of Wadi Sidri (profile 3 between 8.9 - 9.0) and Wadi Mehash (8.9 to 9.3), though a pH value of 8.6 was recorded through layers 2 and 3 of profile 7 (Wadi EI- Awage ) . 7- The dominant soluble cation is either Ca+2 or Na+ followed by Mg+2 while K+ is of the least abundance ion mean while Cl or 8°4-2 is the most abundant anion and HCO; is the 1eas t abundan t an ion. 8- The CEC values were evidently low ranging between 2.4 and 10.00 meq/ 100 g soil, however, profile 8 (Wadi El- Awage) represent an exception showing CEC values ranging from 15.S0 to 25.00 % meq/ 100 g soil. 9- Within the exehangeable cations, Ca+2 was the dominant ion followed by Mg+2 then by Na+ while K+ is the least abundant . 10- In the soils of both Wadi 8idr and Wadi EI-Awage, the mean size tends to be finer suggesting that the uniform and graded suspension m.~chanisms are considerably present. - 143 - The soils of Wadi Sidri, Wadi Araba El-Soghier and Wadi Mehash are characterized by the occurence of rolling and suspension as a major mechanism and sllspension and rolling as a minor one. Whereas in the soils of Wadi Abu - Gerf, the graded suspension as well as rolling and suspension are predominant as the mechanisms of transportation. 11- The sorting value (very well- well and moderately sorted) are dominating in Wadi Sidr and ~Vadi El- Awage indicating the prevailiance of a continuous reworking while the sorting values (moderately and poorly sorted) prevailing in Wadi Sidri, Arba El- Soghier and Wadi Mehash indicating a buried rapidly of sediments and no gentle reworking. On the other hand the sorting values of Wadi Abu- Gerf indicate a relatively rapid buring of sediments with no gentile reworking. 12- The kurtosis distribution in Wadies Sidr and EI-AWage is somewhat unimodal representing mesokurtic and corresponds to very low energy envirorument while the kurtosis indices of WacHs Sidri, Arba El- Soghier and Mehash are generally moderately varied representing a platy - meso and leptokurtosis corresponding to relatively low- energy envirornnent. On the other hand the non normal distribution of kurtosis in Wadi Abu- Gerf corresponds tor slightly high energy environment. - 144 - 13- The skewness values of all the soils show abimodal and non normal distribution indicating a mixing of two or more modal fractions. 14~ The distinictive heavy minerals of the sand distribution fraction~re ~ was in the order of opaques, amphiboles, pyroxenes, zircon, rutile, andalusite ,biotite and kyanite, respectively. 15- The distribution of light minerals showed quartz as a dominant mineral followed by feldspars (orthoclase, plagioclase and microcline) • 16- The parameters of profile development and unu~ fermity such as distribution of heavy minerals, index figures, Z/ R, Z/ T, Z/ R + T , weathering ratios (Wri, Wr2, wr3) showed that these soils were of multi-origin developed on recent depositions of Nile- like sediments. 17- Tentatively evaluation showed that: A- Soils represented by profiles 4 and 7 of Wadis Sidri and El- Awage were”Fair soils”. B- Soils represented by profiles 3 of Wadi Sidri were ” poor soils” - 145 - y c- Soils represented by profile 1 of Wadi Sid, profiles 5, 6 of Wadi Arba £1- Soghier, profile 8 of Wadi El- Awage, and profile 9 of Wadi Mehash were very poor soi Is ” D- Soils represented by profile 2 of Wadi Sidri and profile 10 of Wadi Abu- Gerf were n non- agricultural” |