Artículos de revistas
Study of the water retention properties of a tropical soil
Fecha
2009Registro en:
CANADIAN GEOTECHNICAL JOURNAL, v.46, n.9, p.1084-1092, 2009
0008-3674
10.1139/T09-039
Autor
MIGUEL, Miriam Goncalves
VILAR, Orencio Monje
Institución
Resumen
Some peculiarities of water retention in a tropical lateritic soil of clayey nature are presented and discussed. The typical soil microstructure is shown through thin-layer plates emphasizing soil microaggregation and pore distribution and their repercussion on the soil-water retention curve and on hysteresis. It is shown that the clayey soil has a behavior that to a large extent resembles sandy soil, which is characterized by the relatively high saturated hydraulic conductivity, low air-entry value, and small suction range at which water drainage takes place. The severe weathering processes that originated this soil have produced an altered soil that seems to be homogeneous in terms of physical indices, hydraulic conductivity, and soil-water retention characteristics, up to 4.5 m in depth.