Microscopic Examination of Ancient and Modern Irrigated Paddy Soils in South Korea,with Special Reference to the Formation of Silty Clay Concentration Features

Geoarchaeological investigations of Bronze Age (10th–4th centuries B.C.), early historical (4th–10th centuries A.D.), and premodern to modern paddy soils (11^th Century A.D. to contemporary) in South Korea were carried out to understand soil alteration by irrigated rice agriculture. After a review of ancient cultivation micromorphology, especially in the context of wet‐rice agriculture, paddy soils were examined from two archaeological sites, Gulhwa and Pyunggeo, which had been both intermittently occupied since the Bronze Age. This paper highlights anomalous pedofeatures (silty clay concentration features or SCCFs), repeatedly observed in both historical and modern paddy fields, which were studied using soil micromorphology, energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometry (EDS), and microprobe analysis. Results suggest that there are several types of SCCFs, optically distinguishable from other textural pedofeatures. It is concluded that these SCCFs are probably associated with hydromorphic processes, formed under the influence of a tillage and repeated irrigation specific to paddy fields.     

Physical protection of lignin by organic matter and clay minerals from chemical oxidation

The role of organic matter (OM) concentration, structure and composition and how these relate to mineral protection is important for the understanding of long term soil OM dynamics. Various OM–clay complexes were constructed by sequential sorption of lignin and dodecanoic acid to montmorillonite. Humic acid–montmorillonite complexes were prepared at pH 4 and 7 to vary OM conformation prior to sorption. Results obtained with constructed OM–clay complexes were tested with isolated mineral fractions from two soils. Oxidation with an acidic NaClO₂ solution was used to chemically oxidize lignin in the OM–clay complexes, sand-, silt- and clay-size soil fractions to test whether or not it can be protected from chemical attack. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was used to analyze lignin-derived phenols, cutin OH–acid (after CuO oxidation), fatty acid and n-alkanol concentrations and composition. We found that carbon content was not solely responsible for lignin stability against chemical oxidation. Lignin was protected from chemical oxidation through coating with dodecanoic acid and sorption of humic acid to clay minerals in a stretched conformation at pH 7. Therefore, interactions between OM constituents as well as OM conformation are important factors that protect lignin from chemical oxidation. Lignin-derived phenol dimers in the Grassland-Forest Transition soil fractions were protected from chemical oxidation to a greater extent compared to those in Grassland soil fractions. Therefore, although lignin was protected from degradation through mineral association, the extent of this protection was also related to OM content and the specific stability of lignin components.     

Glacier variations in Breheimen,southern Norway: dating Little Ice Age moraine sequences at seven low‐altitude glaciers

Moraine sequences in front of seven relatively low‐altitude glaciers in the Breheimen region of central southern Norway are described and dated using a ‘multi‐proxy’ approach to moraine stratigraphy. Lichenometric dating, based on the Rhizocarpon subgenus, is used to construct a composite moraine chronology, which indicates eight phases of synchronous moraine formation: AD 1793–1799, 1807–1813, 1845–1852, 1859–1862, 1879–1885, 1897–1898, 1906–1908 and 1931–1933. Although the existence of a few cases of older moraines, possibly dating from earlier in the eighteenth or late in the seventeenth centuries cannot be ruled out by lichenometry, Schmidt hammer R‐values from boulders on outermost moraine ridges suggest an absence of Holocene moraines older than the Little Ice Age. Twenty‐three radiocarbon dates from buried soils and peat associated with outermost moraines at three glaciers—Tverreggibreen, Storegrovbreen and Greinbreen—also indicate that the ‘Little Ice Age’ glacier maximum was the Neoglacial maximum at most if not all glaciers. Several maximum age estimates for the Little Ice Age glacier maximum range between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, with the youngest from a buried soil being AD 1693. A pre‐Little Ice Age maximum cannot be ruled out at Greinbreen, however, where the age of buried peat suggests the outermost moraine dates from AD 981–1399 (at variance with the lichenometric evidence). Glaciofluvial stratigraphy at Tverreggibreen provides evidence for minor glacier advances about AD 655–963 and AD 1277–1396, respectively. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A unique human‐made trench at Tell es‐Sâfi/Gath,Israel: Anthropogenic impact and landscape response

Tell es‐Sâfi/gath is situated in the semiarid foothills of central Israel, adjacent to the coastal . plain. An enigmatic landscape feature, noted on aerial photographs, encircles the tell on three sides. This unique feature, unknown from other Near Eastern tells, was investigated. Methods of analysis include aerial photographs, field surveys, excavations, soil analyses, chronotypological ceramic classification, and radiocarbon dating. We concluded that (1) the peculiar landscape feature is a huge human‐made trench, over 2 km long, 5–6 m deep, and more than 8 m wide, cut through bedrock; (2) the trench was excavated during the Iron Age IIA (ca. 1000–800 B.C.E.), apparently as part of a siege system; (3) the extracted rock and soil material was dumped on the Iron Age landscape surface on one side of the trench, forming an elevated “berm”; (4) erosion processes transformed this landscape scar, as the trench filled with sediment; (5) stratigraphic analysis indicates two major phases of filling, separated by a period of landscape stability and soil formation (A horizon); (6) the two filling phases, exhibiting Iron Age IIA and Byzantine pottery (ca. 324—638 C.E.), appear to coincide with more intense human activity; and (7) the possible effect of climatic variations seems less obvious. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Anthrosols in Iron Age Shetland: Implications for arable and economic activity

The soils surrounding three Iron Age settlements on South Mainland, Shetland, were sampled and compared for indicators of soil amendment. Two of the sites (Old Scatness and Jarlshof) were on lower‐lying, better‐drained, sheltered land; the third (Clevigarth) was in an acid, exposed environment at a higher elevation. The hypothesis, based on previous regional assessments, soil thicknesses, and excavations at Old Scatness, was that the lowland sites would have heavily fertilized soils and that the thin upland soil would show little if any amendment. Our findings indicate that the Middle Iron Age soils at Old Scatness had extremely high phosphorus levels, while the soil at Jarlshof had lower levels of enhancement. At Clevigarth, where charcoal from the buried soil was 14C dated to the Neolithic and Bronze Age, there was no evidence of arable activity or soil amendment associated with the Iron Age phases of settlement. These observations indicate that not all sites put the same amount of effort into creating rich arable soils. The three sites had very different agricultural capacities, which suggests the emergence of local trade in agricultural commodities in Iron Age Shetland. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Groundwater vulnerability to pesticides in Northwest Bangladesh

The transport and leaching potential hazards of various pesticides were studied in a shallow unconfined aquifer located in Northwest Bangladesh. Pesticide leaching potential was quantified using a one-dimensional advective–dispersive transport equation for a non-conservative chemical that follows first-order decay and linear adsorption in soils. Leaching potential index (LPI) was calculated for 69 sites in the study area to evaluate the relative vulnerability to pesticide leaching and to prioritize sites for model study and soil sampling. The numerical ranks of computed LPI were grouped by quantiles into very high, high, moderate, low and very low categories; and based on these rankings, the most vulnerable site was selected. The fate and transport of pesticides in this most vulnerable site was modeled using MT3D. The model results indicate that pesticides with high sorptivity and moderate to high persistence have low potential impact on groundwater. Top soils are found to be particularly vulnerable to the accumulation of organochlorine pesticides. Results also revealed that decreasing the soil organic matter and increasing the half-life of the pesticides at deeper depths did not make any significant change. Finally, six soil samples were collected from the same site at depths of 0.0, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, 6.0, and 7.5 m for the analysis of pesticide residues. The soil–water was extracted from the samples following standard extraction technique and tested using gas chromatography (GC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for pesticide residues. Results showed no trace of pesticide residues in the soil–water; however, a few unknown peaks were detected indicating the use of some unknown brand of chemicals in the study area.     

Drastic desalination of small lakes in East Siberia (Russia) in the early twentieth century: inferred from sedimentological, geochemical and palynological composition of small lakes

Reconstruction of temporal and spatial climate development on a seasonal basis during the last few centuries may help us better understand modern-day interplay between natural and anthropogenic climate variability. The objective of this paper is to reconstruct hydrology and landscape changes of East Siberia during the termination of the Little Ice Age and the subsequent Recent Warming. We analysed sediment samples from the saltwater Sulfatnoe Lake, Bolshoye Alginskoe and freshwater Shuchie Lake using high-resolution X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy at 1-mm scan resolution, Fourier-transform infrared techniques and pollen analyses. The depth–age models of the cores were constructed by ²¹⁰Pb activity using the constant rate of supply model. The lake sediment cover of these lakes began to form from ca. 1870. Three significant periods (1870–1895, 1895–1925 and from 1925 to the present) were defined in hydrology and chemical regime of these lakes for the past 140 years. Lake levels were extremely low and high saturated with salts during the final period of the Little Ice Age. Lake levels began to slowly rise from 1870 to 1895 and vegetation was poor at that period. Intensive desalination of the lakes occurred in 1895–1925, and environment conditions were temperate and favourable for the majority of the taxa of the regional vegetation. Regional precipitation significantly increased and water saturation of the catchments was high from 1925 to the present. The chemical precipitation of carbonate stopped completely in Lake Shichie and reduced considerably in Lake Sulfatnoe and B. Alginskoe. Strong increasing trend of weathering of the lake catchments began in 1970 and still continues.     

Fundamental aspects of prolonged electrokinetic flows in kaolinites

Electrokinetic flows include the migration of fluid, chemicals, fine particles, bacteria, and electrons through a soil–fluid–chemical system driven by an externally applied direct-current (d.c.) electric field. The promising potential of electrokinetic remediation of contaminated fine-grained soils has stimulated recent interest in the study of electrokinetic flow processes, in particular the impact of a prolonged application of a d.c. electric field on fine-grained soils. The results of a bench-scale laboratory experimental investigation on some of the fundamental aspects of prolonged electrokinetic flows in kaolinites, including gas generation rates at power electrodes, electrochemical behaviour of the soil–fluid–chemical system, time variation of electric current intensity flowing through the soil, pH gradient development in the soil, effects of reservoir chemistry on electro-osmotic fluid volume flow rate and flow direction through the soil, time variation of electro-osmotic volume flow rate, and energy requirements per unit volume of fluid transported, are presented in this paper. Effects of soil type and pore fluid chemistry on these aspects were also studied.     

Effect of different industrial activities on heavy metal concentrations and chemical distribution in topsoil and road dust

The development of industrial activity in recent years has promoted the pollution in this environment causing health problems to workers and the neighbourhood nearby. In order to determine the influence of different industrial activities in metals concentration and behaviour in soil and road dust, samples from three different industrial areas (service industry; refinery, fertilizer and power industry; and tannery industry) and a natural area were collected. Physical–chemical properties, metal content (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Co, Ni) and the chemical distribution of metals were carried out. Results show largest accumulation of metals in road dusts samples for all industrial areas, being Zn, Pb, Cr and Cu the metals with highest concentrations. Each industrial activity contributes differently to the concentration of metals in soil and dust, and the highest concentrations of Cr were found from tannery industries, while Pb and Zn showed the highest concentration from refinery and fertilizer industry. It has been showed that industrial activity has influence on the physicochemical properties of soil and road dust and on the bioavailability of all metals. Chemical partitioning indicates that Pb, Zn, Cu and Cr distribution in the different solid phases is affected by industrial activity, while Co and Ni distribution is not affected by the industrial activity.     

Arctic-alpine brown soils as a source of palaeoenvironmental information: Further 14C dating and palynological evidence from Vestre Memurubreen,Jotunheimen, Norway

¹⁴C dating and pollen analytical evidence is presented relating to the usefulness of arctic-alpine Brown Soils for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. A present-day soil has been examined together with its continuation beneath the outermost ?Little Ice Age’? end moraine of the glacier Vestre Memurubreen at a location well above the tree-line in the mid-alpine belt of southern Norway. Fourteen ¹⁴C dates from chemically-fractionated soil samples, which range in age from 495 ± 55 ¹⁴C yr in the uppermost 1 cm to > 4000 ¹⁴C yr within 13 cm of the buried soil surface, demonstrate near-linear age/depth gradients in the palaeosol. Continuous development of the palaeosol over at least 5000 calendar yr prior to burial confirms that Vestre Memurubreen attained its Neoglacial maximum extent in the ?Little Ice Age’?. Pollen stratification in buried and unburied profiles indicates a single vegetation change from a low-alpine dwarf-shrub heath to a mid-alpine ?grass’? heath, reflecting an altitudinal lowering of vegetation belts and a possible climatic cooling of 2-4°C. Surface additions of allochthonous (aeolian) mineral particles appear to have contributed to soil development, whilst mixing processes have been relatively unimportant at this site. The immobilisation of resistant organic residues and the ineffectiveness of biological and chemical activity are major reasons for the preservation of a palaeoenvironmental record in these high altitude soils.     

The management of arable land from prehistory to the present: Case studies from the Northern Isles of Scotland

The arable soils from two multiperiod settlements were analyzed to identify changes in agricultural methods over time. The settlement middens were also analyzed to determine whether potential fertilizers were discarded unused. Results suggest that in the Neolithic period (˜4000–2000 B.C. in the UK) the arable soils at Tofts Ness, Orkney, and Old Scatness, Shetland, were created by flattening and cultivating the settlements' midden heaps in situ. The arable area at Tofts Ness was expanded in the Bronze Age (˜2000–700 B.C. in the UK), and the new land was improved by the addition of ash, nightsoil, and domestic waste. Cultivation continued briefly after the fields were buried in windblown sand in the Late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age, but by the Early Iron Age cultivation ceased and organic‐rich material was allowed to accumulate within the settlement. By contrast, at Old Scatness, arable production was increased in the Iron Age (˜700 B.C.–A.D. 550 in Scotland) by the intensive use of animal manures. The results indicate that during the lifespan of the two settlements the arable soils were fertilized to increase production, which was intensified over time. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

REE concentrations in agricultural soil in Sweden and Italy: Comparison of weak MMI® extraction with near total extraction data

Rare Earth Element (REE) concentrations in agricultural soil obtained from the Mobile Metal Ion (MMI^®) weak extraction technique are compared with soil total concentrations (sodium peroxide fusion followed by acid dissolution) for 118 and 174 agricultural soil samples from Italy and Sweden, respectively. Spatial distribution maps and statistics for both analytical techniques are compared between the two national datasets. In spite of similarity of REE concentration in two countries, the median values of REE is higher than Italy but extreme concentration of REE in Italy is due to young volcanic activities. Extractability of REEs is significantly higher in Swedish soils than in Italian soils. Heavy Rare Earth Element (HREE) in Sweden show higher concentrations compared to Italy in MMI^® extraction data where correlate with REE mineralisation. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is used to elucidate correlations and anomalies in the REE distribution. Results show that there is a clear correlation between REE anomalies and natural factors such as lithology of the underlying bedrock, the presence of mineralisations, pH of soils, climate and precipitation. According to the PCA results, anomalous behaviour of Eu, Ce, Tb and Gd can be explained by the dominant mineralogy of the parent material and the variable affinity of REEs to bind to clay minerals and clay-size particles.     

Pliocene clays from Aegina (Greece): Reference material for chemical provenance studies on bronze age pottery from the Island

Normally, the use of clays as reference materials in chemical provenance studies of ancient ceramics is complicated due to the original clay paste processing. The primary mixing and/or refining of raw materials during pottery production makes a straightforward comparison of archaeological ceramics with extant geological materials difficult if not impossible in many cases. However, in the case of Pliocene clays from Aegina (Greece), which were examined chemically and mineralogically and compared with Bronze Age pottery produced on the island, a successful exception can be presented. The chemical composition of a large group of Aeginetan pottery resembles the chemical composition of clays from a deposit in close vicinity to the main Bronze Age settlement of the island. Clays from specific outcrops exhibit considerable chemical and mineralogical homogeneity, and the suitability of those clays for pottery production apparently made substantial clay paste processing unnecessary. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Investigation of bacterial hopanoid inputs to soils from Western Canada

Hopanoids have been widely used as characteristic biomarkers to study inputs of bacterial biomass to sediments because they are preserved in the geologic record. A limited number of studies have been performed on hopanoid biomarkers in soils. The present study examined the distribution and potential preservation of hopanoids in soils that are developed under different climatic conditions and varying vegetative inputs. Solvent extraction and sequential chemical degradation methods were employed to extract both “free” and “bound” hopanoids, from three grassland soils, a grassland–forest transition soil, and a forest soil from Western Canada. Identification and quantification of hopanoids in the soil samples were carried out by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Methylbishomohopanol, bishomohopanol and bishomohopanoic acid were detected in all solvent extracts. The base hydrolysis and ruthenium tetroxide extracts contained only bishomohopanoic acid at a concentration range of 0.8–8.8 μg/gC and 2.2–28.3 μg/gC, respectively. The acid hydrolysis procedure did not release detectable amounts of hopanoids. The solvent extraction yielded the greatest amounts of “free” hopanoids in two of the grassland soils (Dark Brown and Black Chernozems) and in the forest soil (Gray Luvisol). In contrast, the chemical degradation methods resulted in higher amounts of “bound” hopanoids in the third grassland soil (Brown Chernozem) and the transition soil (Dark Gray Chernozem), indicating that more hopanoids exist in the “bound” form in these soils. Overall, the forest and the transition soils contained more hopanoids than the grassland soils. This is hypothesized to be due to the greater degradation of hopanoids in the grassland soils and or sorption to clay minerals, as compared to the forest and transition soils.     

Holocene environmental changes and human impact in the northern Swiss Jura as reflected by data from the Delémont valley

The construction of the A16-Transjurane motorway revealed evidence of Holocene sediment sequences in the Delémont valley (Canton of Jura, Switzerland). Certain processes begin during the Younger Dryas. Pine forests dominate this cold period, which was unfavourable for pedogenesis; they remain throughout the first half of the Holocene. The meandering river system then becomes stable for more than four millennia. The first signs of human impact on the vegetal cover begin to appear around 3,500 cal BC (Middle Neolithic). An increase in hydric activity occurs between 3,600 and 2,500 cal BC. However, the earliest evidence of the cultivation of cereals dates only to about 2,000 cal BC (Early Bronze Age). Extensive forest clearing and the emergence of cultivated plants occur after 1,400 cal BC. On the cleared slopes the soil erodes and at their foot colluvium deposits accumulate. The densification of the settlement from the Late Bronze Age (1,350–800 cal BC) until the beginning of the Iron Age (800–650 cal BC) contributes to alluvial destabilization. A palaeosol has been identified in all of the Holocene deposits in the valley. The deforestation intensifies between 400 and 100 cal BC while hydric activity decreases. The first centuries of our era record very limited pedo-sedimentary phenomena. However, human presence becomes less marked after 350 cal AD. The slopes are stabilized and the soil develops. From 550 cal AD, an important increase in hydric activity takes place, a probable consequence of a wet fluctuation in the climate. Contemporary forest clearing causes deep gullies. After 750 cal AD, drier conditions set in. This period of stability, marked by occasional rises in the water level, continues until 1,250–1,300 cal AD (Late Middle Ages). Then superficial flows resume and entrenchment of the main waterways occurs, combined consequences of the Little Ice Age and the upsurge in human activity.     

Holocene development and permafrost history in sub‐arctic peatlands in Tavvavuoma,northern Sweden

Under changing climatic conditions permafrost peatlands can play an important role in the global carbon budget through permafrost carbon feedbacks and shifts in carbon assimilation. To better predict future dynamics in these ecosystems an increased understanding of their Holocene carbon and permafrost history is needed. In Tavvavuoma, northern Sweden, we have performed detailed analyses of vegetation succession and geochemical properties at six permafrost peatland sites. Peatland initiation took place around 10 000 to 9600 cal. a BP, soon after retreat of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet, and the peatlands have remained permafrost‐free fens throughout most of the Holocene. At the four sites that showed a continuous accumulation record during the late Holocene radiocarbon dating of the shift from wet fen to dry bog vegetation, characteristic of the present permafrost peatland surface, suggests that permafrost developed at around 600–100 cal. a BP. At the other two sites peat accumulation was halted during the late Holocene, possibly due to abrasion, making it more difficult to imply the timing of permafrost aggradation. However also at these sites there are no indications of permafrost inception prior to the Little Ice Age. The mean long‐term Holocene carbon accumulation rate at all six sites was 12.3±2.4 gC m⁻² a⁻¹ (±SD), and the mean soil organic carbon storage was 114±27 kg m⁻².     

Heavy mineral weathering under acidic soil conditions

The weathering of heavy minerals in acid soil profiles (pH 4–5) has been studied in terms of their relative mineral proportions and by using the surface etching features of apatite and hornblende grains. An increasing stability order of: apatite, titanite, hornblende, garnet, epidote, zircon is found in the 45–63 μm coarse-silt fraction of soils developed on tills in southwestern Sweden. In glaciofluvial deposits, sorting processes during deposition have largely determined the variations in heavy mineral content of soils, and only the dissolution of apatite is significant. Hornblende etching is more extensive in soils with low hornblende content, indicating that the release of cations relative to the amount of hornblende is greater in such soils.     

Soil Paleocatenas,Prehistoric Land Use,and Coastal Landscape Dynamics at Druridge Bay,Northeast England

Coastal erosion of sand dune systems along Druridge Bay, northeast England, has progressively exposed parts of the subdune mid‐Holocene landscape, including paleocatenas, indicating former soil hydrosequences with localized wetland habitats, and archaeological evidence of human activities and land use from the Late Mesolithic to the Romano‐British period. Archaeological investigations and pedostratigraphic studies of paleosols provide a unique spatial–chronological framework to interpret soil and land use change over several millennia in the context of a changing coastal environment. Evidence includes dating of archaeological remains, the stratigraphy, morphology and micromorphology of buried soils and sediments, and the palynology and radiocarbon dating of subdune peats. Early Bronze Age burial sites were preferentially located on well‐drained hillocks also used for grazing. Adjacent wetland depressions provided areas of marshy grassland and swamp over deep fen peat soils that started to develop c. 5435 cal. yr B.P. in response to a rising groundwater table stimulated partly by slow sea‐level rise. The backslopes of the paleocatena were occupied by imperfectly to poorly drained soils that supported open oak‐hazel woodland with evidence for progressive clearance and use for agriculture. Windblown sand started to accumulate on the study site sometime between 3930 and 3670 cal. yr B.P., well before the Little Ice Age date for dune formation suggested by previous researchers.     

Preferential water and solute transport through sandy soil containing artificial macropores

Macropores resulting from soil pedogenesis and biological activity play important roles in soil water and chemical transport. Numerous studies have examined individual macropores and the effects of their size on solute transport, but few have assessed the effects of macropore continuity and of neighboring macropores. This paper describes a laboratory investigation of the effects of macropores, with varying degrees and types of continuity, on the transport and distribution of solutes in a sandy soil from the northern Loess Plateau, China. Breakthrough curves were obtained from 60 cm tall, 2-D columns containing standardized artificial macropores using an input solution of 1,190 mg/L KBr and 100 mg/L FD&C Blue #1 under a constant hydraulic head of 8 cm. The types of macropore were: open at both the surface and bottom of the soil column (O–O); open at the surface, closed at the bottom (O–C); and closed at the surface, open at the bottom (C–O). Columns with no macropores served as a control. In the O–O columns the solution reached the bottom 10–50 times faster than in any other treatment, bypassing most of the soil matrix. The presence of an O–C macropore resulted in weak retardation and much deeper penetration of the bromide and FD&C Blue #1 solution than in the control columns. However, the C–O macropore had little effect on either breakthrough curves or solute distributions. In further experiments that considered neighboring macropores effects, an inclined macropore strongly affected solute concentrations in the profile around a nearby vertical macropore. It was concluded that the length, type and position of single macropores, and the presence of neighboring macropores, all affect soil water flow and solute infiltration parameters in a sandy loam soil.     

Chemical variables influencing microbial properties in composted tannery sludge-treated soil

Repeated applications of composted tannery sludge to arable soils have the potential to greatly alter soil chemistry and thus potentially influence the soil microbial community over time. This study performed multivariate analyses using the data of soil microbial biomass, respiration, and enzymes activities obtained during 5 years (2010–2014) in a long-term experiment with composted tannery sludge amendment. The correlation between the soil microbial and chemical properties, via the analysis of similarity matrices, revealed calcium as the main single factor influencing the microbial properties, in 2010 and 2011. Afterward, chromium was the most important chemical variables driving the microbial properties in 2012, 2013, and 2014. The non-metric multidimensional scaling demonstrated that the soil microbial properties changed with composted tannery sludge application from 2010 to 2014. Multivariate analysis from soil microbial data with composted tannery sludge amendment, during 5 years, showed calcium and chromium as being the most significant variables influencing the soil microbial properties in composted tannery sludge-treated soil.