Regional and catenary variations in properties of Borolls of southern Saskatchewan Canada
1990
Pennock, D.J. | De Jong, E.
The spatial pattern of soil properties results from systematic variations in the type and intensity of soil-forming processes and from random variations superimposed on the systematic variations. We examined the thickness of A horizons and depths to CaCO3 at 21 sites in southern Saskatchewan to determine whether systematic differences occurred among soil-moisture regimes of Borolls and among landform elements in catenas. The mean thickness of A horizons was thinnest for the aridic Borolls (average = 15.3 cm) and ustic Borolls (average = 15.2 cm) and thickest in the udic Borolls (average = 18.4 cm), reflecting the regional moisture gradient. The regional differences in mean depth to CaCO3 were contrary to the expected pattern: mean depths were smallest for the ustic Borolls (average = 29.9 cm) and greatest for the aridic (average = 34.1 cm) and the udic (average = 34.9 cm) Borolls. A consistent pattern was associated with landform elements in soil catenas. The smallest means for both properties were associated with shoulder and backslope elements with convex across-slope curvatures, and the greatest means for footslope elements with concave across-slope curvatures. The range in mean values of the two properties among landform elements within a catena was consistently an order of magnitude greater than the regional differences among soil subgroups.
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