The distribution of soil erosion as a function of slope aspect and parent material in Ciskei,Southern Africa

The paper investigates the relationship between geology, soils and slope aspects in four Ciskei catchments. The primary aim of the study was to determine whether any simple bivariate relationship exists between these independent variables and soil erosion. The secondary aim of the study was to determine whether combining the three independent variables and using a multivariate analysis could produce a more lucid picture of spatial variations in soil erosion. The results obtained from the study show that all the three independent variables (geology, soil type and slope aspects) can be used to account for spatial variations in soil erosion in the study catchments. A parent material classification (based on geology and soil type) and a parent material plus slope aspect classification provide more detailed explanation for variations in the extent of soil erosion in the study area. The paper discusses possible reasons for the observed relationships and the need for more detailed multivariate investigations.     

Application of the modified universal soil loss equation (MUSLE) in prediction of sediment yield (Case study: Kengir Watershed, Iran)

Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (MUSLE) application study is undertaken in order to estimate the sediment yield of the Kengir watershed in Iyvan City, Ilam Province, Iran. The runoff factor of MUSLE is computed using the measured values of runoff and peak rate of runoff at outlet of the watershed. Topographic factor (LS) and crop management factor(C) are determined using geographic information system (GIS) and field-based survey of land use/land cover. The conservation practice factor (P) is obtained from the literature. Sediment yield at the outlet of the study watershed is simulated for six storm events spread over the year 2000 and validated with the measured values. The high coefficient of determination value (0.99) indicates that MUSLE model sediment yield predictions are satisfactory for practical purposes.     

Assessment of As and Cd contamination in topsoils of Northern Ghorveh (Western Iran): role of parent material, land use and soil properties

The aim of this study was to investigate the influences of land use, parent materials (rock types) and soil properties on total arsenic and cadmium concentrations in the agricultural soils. A total of 87 surface (0–20 cm) soil samples were collected from four types of land use: irrigated farming, rangeland, dry farming and orchard. The average concentrations of the analyzed elements in topsoil were 84.426 mg As/kg and 3.289 mg Cd/kg. In addition, the pH, organic matter (OM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil grain sizes and CaCO₃ were measured for each sample. The results indicated that land use had no significant effect on As and Cd concentrations. Our findings indicated that the Cd concentrations were influenced by bedrock composition, but for As there were no significant differences between various soil parent materials (bedrocks). Soil pollution was assessed on the basis of pollution index (PI), comprehensive pollution index (P _n ) and geoaccumulation index (I _geo). Calculated indices showed high-pollution levels for As and low- to moderate-pollution levels for Cd.     

Comparison between ordinary kriging (OK) and inverse distance weighted (IDW) based on estimation error. Case study: Dardevey iron ore deposit,NE Iran

Estimation of mineral resources and reserves with low values of error is essential in mineral exploration. The aim of this study is to compare inverse distance weighted (IDW) and ordinary kriging (OK) methods based on error estimation in the Dardevey iron ore deposit, NE Iran. Anisotropic ellipsoid and variograms were calculated and generated for estimation of Fe distribution by both methods. Density, continuity of ore and waste, the number of points involved, and the discretization factor in the estimation of ore and waste boundaries were determined and the resource estimated by IDW and OK methods. Estimation errors were classified based on JORC standard, and both methods were compared due to distribution of error estimation. Results obtained by the study indicate that error estimation of OK method is less than IDW method and that the results of OK method are reliable.     

Studying the Interaction Between Active Faults and Landslide Phenomenon: Case Study of Landslide in Latian, Northeast Tehran, Iran

In this article, the interaction between active faults and landslide phenomenon is studied. The case study concerns the landslide in the east of Latian Dam to the northeast of Tehran, the Capital of Iran. The methodology was based on geological studies, geomorphologic studies, the study of landslide phenomenon including its characteristics and its parameters, hydrogeology, geological engineering and the geotechnical studies. The results show that landslide is located in the crush and mylonitized zone of the Roodehen active fault. The geological formation includes the landslides of the Eocene tuffs, which have been severely crushed and pulverized by the Roodehen Fault’s actions, and for this reason, they show very weak geotechnical characteristics compared to the natural tuffs. The layering slope of the formation is according to the natural ground slope and facilitates their slips. According to the results, the main reason for landslide is the impact of the Roodehen active fault and the creation of crush and mylonitized zone in the Eocene tuffs, while the secondary parameters are the local geological structures, the unfavorable conditions of the groundwater and their inadequate drainage and the construction of a road along the ground layers. The existence of groundwater, the low impermeability of the landslide materials and the inadequate drainage are also under the influence of the fault. Moreover, based on the results of this research and the location of the considered landslide and a number of others along the Roodehen Fault, it became possible to study the fault’s activity from a seismotectonic point of view and to estimate the magnitude of such an eventuality by methods other than the conventional ones.     

Prediction of slope stability using artificial neural network (case study: Noabad, Mazandaran, Iran)

Investigations of failures of soil masses are subjects touching both geology and engineering. These investigations call the joint efforts of engineering geologists and geotechnical engineers. Geotechnical engineers have to pay particular attention to geology, ground water, and shear strength of soils in assessing slope stability. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are very sophisticated modeling techniques, capable of modeling extremely complex functions. In particular, neural networks are nonlinear. In this research, with respect to the above advantages, ANN systems consisting of multilayer perceptron networks are developed to predict slope stability in a specified location, based on the available site investigation data from Noabad, Mazandaran, Iran. Several important parameters, including total stress, effective stress, angle of slope, coefficient of cohesion, internal friction angle, and horizontal coefficient of earthquake, were used as the input parameters, while the slope stability was the output parameter. The results are compared with the classical methods of limit equilibrium to check the ANN model’s validity.     

河北行唐大枣品质与成土母岩类型关系的探讨

笔者从农业地质研究的角度出发,探讨了成土母岩对行唐大枣产量和品质的影响。调查研究发现在行唐山区品质好、产量高的大枣主要分布在黑云斜长片麻岩区,其主要原因是黑云斜长片麻岩较其他类型风化层厚,裂隙发育,P、Sr、稀土元素等含量高,K含量高并以缓效态赋存在黑云母中易被植物吸收;从土壤地球化学背景分析表明,优质大枣分布区具有与P、Sr、Na和稀土元素总量的富集区吻合性最好,Ni、Cr含量低的特点,这也验证了行唐大枣优质产区分布和成土母岩黑云斜长片麻岩分布的一致性。     

Regional soil erosion risk mapping using RUSLE,GIS, and remote sensing: a case study in Miyun Watershed,North China

This paper applied the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), remote-sensing technique, and geographic information system (GIS) to map the soil erosion risk in Miyun Watershed, North China. The soil erosion parameters were evaluated in different ways: the R factor map was developed from the rainfall data, the K factor map was obtained from the soil map, the C factor map was generated based on a back propagation (BP) neural network method of Landsat ETM+ data with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.929 to the field collected data, and a digital elevation model (DEM) with a spatial resolution of 30 m was derived from topographical map at the scale of 1:50,000 to develop the LS factor map. P factor map was assumed as 1 for the watershed because only a very small area has conservation practices. By integrating the six factor maps in GIS through pixel-based computing, the spatial distribution of soil loss in the upper watershed of Miyun reservoir was obtained by the RUSLE model. The results showed that the annual average soil loss for the upper watershed of Miyun reservoir was 9.86 t ha⁻¹ ya⁻¹ in 2005, and the area of 47.5 km² (0.3%) experiences extremely severe erosion risk, which needs suitable conservation measures to be adopted on a priority basis. The spatial distribution of erosion risk classes was 66.88% very low, 21.90% low, 6.19% moderate, 2.90% severe, and 1.84% very severe. Among all counties and cities in the study area, Huairou County is in the extremely severe level of soil erosion risk, about 39.6% of land suffer from soil erosion, while Guyuan County in the very low level of soil erosion risk suffered from 17.79% of soil erosion in 2005. Therefore, the areas which are in the extremely severe level of soil erosion risk need immediate attention from soil conservation point of view.     

Paleoenvironment,prehistory, and accelerated slope erosion along the central Israeli coastal plain (Palmahim): A geoarchaeological case study

The late Quaternary history and systematics of slope erosion along a segment of the Central Israeli Coastal Plain is examined in conjunction with a series of terminal Paleolithic occupations. Three sites situated along the slope afford site-specific and intersite data that enable reconstructions of local geological and archaeological sequences and correlations. The earliest (Kebaran) component is located on the midslope while the later (Geometric Kebaran) is situated along the footslope. Paleotopographic relations and sediment analyses indicate that the later Geometric Kebaran deposits were derived from the paleosol developed on the midslope. Paleoenvironmental contexts at the sites reveal that the rich Kebaran soil is diagnostic of an ancient swamp and attendant moist interval. Concentrations of cultural debris along these fragile midslopes imply a density of occupation and impact that may have increased rates of degradation. Extensive as well as intensive utilization of the midslope is suggested. The occupation contrasts markedly with the later Geometric Kebaran sites which display minimal sedimentation and a broader range of site distribution. The site-specific evidence and regional distribution patterns argue for more varied settlement, proportionately reduced site sizes, and consequently, reduced slope utilization towards the close of the Paleolithic.     

Combination of GISFM and TOPSIS to evaluation of Urban Environment Carrying Capacity (Case study: Shemiran City,Iran)

Urban environment has evolved over time and space, as the outcome of dynamic interactions between socioeconomic and biophysical processes operating over multiple scales. In the case of infinite expansion of urban population and human activities beyond “limit of urban capacity,” local urbanites would never achieve prosperity, but also be disordered by deteriorations within socioeconomic and ecological aspects. On this basis, this study aims to suggest a GIS-based model, combined of TOPSIS along with fuzzy modeling, in GIS environ, in order to evaluate Urban Environment Carrying Capacity. Suggested model was planned on the basis of desirable and the maximum accepted limits of chosen indicators, used to determine hot spots. To this aim, Shemiran City was studied. Results showed that at the studied area, 43, 44 and 10% had Degree 2 (low pressure), Degree 3 (median pressure) and Degree 4 (maximum pressure) of carrying capacity, respectively; also, only 3% was at critical state. None of the studied districts has desirable degree of carrying capacity.     

Back analysis of an excavated slope failure in highly fractured rock mass: the case study of Kargar slope failure (Iran)

This paper examines the failure of Kargar cut slope located at the south part of Esfahan subway using analytical and numerical back analysis methods. The excavated trench has 27 m depth with near vertical walls due to the space limitation around it. The geology of the area comprises weathered and heavily jointed shale and sandstone overlaid by alluvium deposits. Despite the slope being supported by shotcrete and fully grouted rock bolts, a catastrophic failure occurred at the east wall. Due to the uncertainty about the causes of failure initiation, back analyses have been performed via both the limit equilibrium and numerical method for considering various probable mechanisms. In the back analysis with limit equilibrium method, the rock mass is assumed as an equivalent continuum and Hoek–Brown failure criterion and geological strength index (GSI) are applied to calculate the shear strength parameters. The results show that GSI value was 33 in the failed mass. In the numerical back analysis, the distinct element method is applied to study the contribution of rock joints to the failure and progressive rock mass strength degradation until failure. The results show that threshold values of joint cohesion and friction were 0.2 MPa and 30°, respectively. Also the modeled slip surface being step-shaped agrees with the observed one.     

Spatio-temporal analysis of different levels of road expansion on soil erosion distribution: a case study of Fengqing county, Southwest China

The construction of roads has direct and indirect impacts on soil erosion, with spatio-temporal variations existing among different levels of road zones. Aiming to quantitatively analyze the soil loss, this paper explored the relationship between the erosion of soil and its distance from the road in Fengqing county, Southwest China in 1987 and 2004, respectively. The average soil erosion was calculated and expressed with grid map using universal soil loss equation (USLE) model based on GIS and RS. Along the different levels of roads classified as trunk, county, town, village and unpaved road, the buffer zones were subdivided into five stripes, each of which was 200 meters wide. The average soil erosion modulus of each buffer zone was also counted. Results show that the soil loss decreases with increasing distance to the road except rare trunk roads in the region. In addition, the declined intensity varies with the different levels of roads. Soil erosion was more serious along the lower level road than the higher ones. And soil erosion was more severe for all levels of roads in 1987 than those in 2004 because much more rainfalls affected the situation of soil erosion in 1987.     

Soil erosion and sediment yield modeling using RS and GIS techniques: a case study, Iran

Water erosion is a serious and continuous environmental problem in many parts of the world. The need to quantify the amount of erosion, sediment delivery, and sediment yield in a spatially distributed form has become essential at the watershed scale and in the implementation of conservation efforts. In this study, an effort to predict potential annual soil loss and sediment yield is conducted by using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model with adaptation in a geographic information system (GIS). The rainfall erosivity, soil erosivity, slope length, steepness, plant cover, and management practice and conservation support practice factors are among the basic factors that are obtained from monthly and annual rainfall data, soil map of the region, 50-m digital elevation model, remote sensing (RS) techniques (with use of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), and GIS, respectively. The Ilam dam watershed which is located southeast part of Ilam province in western Iran is considered as study area. The study indicates that the slope length and steepness of the RUSLE model are the most effective factors controlling soil erosion in the region. The mean annual soil loss and sediment yield are also predicted. Moreover, the results indicated that 45.25%, 12.18%, 12.44%, 10.79%, and 19.34% of the study area are under minimal, low, moderate, high, and extreme actual erosion risks, respectively. Since 30.13% of the region is under high and extreme erosion risk, adoption of suitable conservation measures seems to be inevitable. So, the RUSLE model integrated with RS and GIS techniques has a great potential for producing accurate and inexpensive erosion and sediment yield risk maps in Iran.     

Relationship between groundwater flow estimated by soil temperature and slope failures caused by heavy rainfall, Shikoku Island, southwestern Japan

Most of the slope failure disasters in a humid area such as that of Japan are caused by heavy rain. However, even for the case of heavy rainfall that occurs once in every 10 years, total area of slope failures seldom exceeds 10% of a watershed. From this background, we focused on the vein-like groundwater flows that increase pore-water pressure, and clarified the relationship between distributions of slope failures and groundwater veins. In this study, a 1-m-depth ground temperature survey and water-chemistry analyses at springs and boreholes were conducted in Zentoku area of Shikoku Island, southwestern Japan, to grasp the distribution of groundwater veins and their sources. Subsequently, slope-stability was analyzed to investigate the relationship between groundwater veins and slope failures at study sites. These results lead to the following conclusions: The slope failures appear to concentrate around shallow groundwater veins and groundwater veins rising from deep layers. This means that slope failures caused by these groundwater veins in addition to rainfall. Two types of groundwater originate in the deep layers: one has short storage time as indicated by the fact that dissolved substances are low; the other is stored for a lengthy period as noted by a high concentration of dissolved substances. By combining the results of stability analyses and distribution of groundwater veins, it is suggested that prediction of zones with high potential for slope failure can be more accurate.     

Mapping soil erosion susceptibility using remote sensing and GIS: a case of the Upper Nam Wa Watershed,Nan Province,Thailand

Land degradation is still a very common problem in the mountains of Asia because of inappropriate land use practice in steep topography. Many studies have been carried out to map shifting cultivation and areas susceptible to soil erosion. Mostly, estimated soil loss is taken as the basis to classify the level of soil loss susceptibility of area. Factors that influence soil erosion are: rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, slope length and steepness, crop management and conservation practices. Thus the reliability of estimated soil loss is based on how accurately the different factors were estimated or prepared. As each and every small pixel of our earth surface is different from one area to another, the manner in which the study area was discretized into smaller homogenous sizes and how the most accurate and efficient technique were adopted to estimate the soil loss are very important. The purpose of this study is to produce erosion susceptibility maps for an area that has suffered because of shifting cultivation located in the mountainous regions of Northern Thailand. For this purpose, an integrated approach using RS and GIS-based methods is proposed. Data from the Upper Nam Wa Watershed, a mountainous area of the Northern Thailand were used. An Earth Resources Data Analysis System (ERDAS) imagine image processor has been used for the digital analysis of satellite data and topographical analysis of the contour data for deriving the land use/land cover and the topographical data of the watershed, respectively. ARCInfo and ARCView have been used for carrying out geographical data analysis. The watershed was discretized into hydrologically, topographically, and geographically homogeneous grid cells to capture the watershed heterogeneity. The soil erosion in each cell was calculated using the universal soil loss equation (USLE) by carefully determining its various parameters and classifying the watershed into different levels of soil erosion severity. Results show that during the time of this study most of the areas under shifting cultivation fell in the highest severity class of susceptibility.     

西南岩溶区水土流失与石漠化的变化关系研究——以重庆南川岩溶区为例

以重庆南川区为例,利用TM遥感影像、Arcgis和Erdas软件,运用地图代数原理,采用图像数据转移矩阵计算,结果表明从1988年到2000年水土流失增强面积为9 605.89 hm2,减弱面积为79 947.85 hm2;石漠化强度增强面积为15 078.92 hm2,减弱面积为12 492.53 hm2。石漠化是水土流失长期作用的结果,水土流失是石漠化形成过程的阶段性表现,二者在成因上存在因果关系,但在生态治理恢复的过程中,水土流失减弱面积与石漠化减弱面积的变化不同步,在时间上存在滞后关系。造成这种滞后的现象,原因是石漠化土地生态的恢复过程较水土流失土地的长。      

Landslide susceptibility mapping at Vaz Watershed (Iran) using an artificial neural network model: a comparison between multilayer perceptron (MLP) and radial basic function (RBF) algorithms

Landslide susceptibility and hazard assessments are the most important steps in landslide risk mapping. The main objective of this study was to investigate and compare the results of two artificial neural network (ANN) algorithms, i.e., multilayer perceptron (MLP) and radial basic function (RBF) for spatial prediction of landslide susceptibility in Vaz Watershed, Iran. At first, landslide locations were identified by aerial photographs and field surveys, and a total of 136 landside locations were constructed from various sources. Then the landslide inventory map was randomly split into a training dataset 70 % (95 landslide locations) for training the ANN model and the remaining 30 % (41 landslides locations) was used for validation purpose. Nine landslide conditioning factors such as slope, slope aspect, altitude, land use, lithology, distance from rivers, distance from roads, distance from faults, and rainfall were constructed in geographical information system. In this study, both MLP and RBF algorithms were used in artificial neural network model. The results showed that MLP with Broyden–Fletcher–Goldfarb–Shanno learning algorithm is more efficient than RBF in landslide susceptibility mapping for the study area. Finally the landslide susceptibility maps were validated using the validation data (i.e., 30 % landslide location data that was not used during the model construction) using area under the curve (AUC) method. The success rate curve showed that the area under the curve for RBF and MLP was 0.9085 (90.85 %) and 0.9193 (91.93 %) accuracy, respectively. Similarly, the validation result showed that the area under the curve for MLP and RBF models were 0.881 (88.1 %) and 0.8724 (87.24 %), respectively. The results of this study showed that landslide susceptibility mapping in the Vaz Watershed of Iran using the ANN approach is viable and can be used for land use planning.     

Mapping of the soil texture using geostatistical method (a case study of the Shahrekord plain, central Iran)

Soil texture is a key variable that reflect a number of soil properties such as soil permeability, water holding capacity, nutrient storage and availability, and soil erosion. The main objective of this study was to produce the kriged maps of soils of the Shahrekord region, central Iran. One hundred four soil samples were collected on a 375-m² sampling grid from the depths of 0–30, 30–60, and 60–100 centimeter, and their particle sizes were determined using hydrometer method. The results showed a moderately spatial correlation in the soil particles among sampling soil layers and across the study area. Moreover, increasing clay and therewith observation of heavier soil textures is evident from surface to subsurface layers of the soils in the studied area due to rainfall and/or irrigation agriculture. These findings indicated that study of the soil texture variation with depth can be used as a clue for site-specific management and precision agriculture. Moreover, we suggest further analysis by using other data layers like topographical parameters, land use, parent material, soil erosion, and any other information which might influence the spatial distribution of soil texture.     

Afforestation by slope terracing accelerates erosion. A case study in the Barranco de Barcedana (Conca de Tremp, NE Spain)

. The dam of Cellers, situated in the south of Tremp (Lleida Province), is undergoing progressive filling as a consequence of the heavy erosion which affects the lutitic formations of its hydrographic basin. Several actions have been carried out in order to reduce erosion; the most widely used is the afforestation of extensive areas. In certain areas, however, the restoration works have had negative effects, the afforestation leading to an even greater erosion than that which was originally occurring. This peculiar response is caused both by the modification of the morphologic and hydrologic characteristics of the slopes and by having left uncovered the clayey bedrock of the zone. These clayey materials have a considerable swelling and dispersive potential, which the aforementioned activities have tended to develop.