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Microscopic and Ultramicroscopic Porosity of an Oxisol as Determined by Image Analysis and Water Retention

Dep. of Soil Science, Univ. of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7N 0W0

* Corresponding author.

ABSTRACT

Detailed analysis of soil porosity in an Oxisol from Brazil was performed by image analysis in order to understand the unique water retention behavior of Oxisols. In addition to pores, the quantification of skeleton grains and plasma was made by image analysis of thin section micrographs. Due to the high quantity of skeleton grains and micro-aggregates, interaggregate pores formed a network of interconnected simple and compound packing voids. Interaggregate porosity was an average of 39% for the profile. Micro-aggregates of about 50- to 100-µm in size were impregnated with Spurr's resin and ultrathin sections were made to measure ultramicroscopic pores. Image analysis of the transmission electron microscope (TEM) micrographs indicated approximately 9% intra-aggregate pores. Ultramicroscopic pores were formed by the arrangement of kaolinite, halloysite and Fe- and Ti-bearing minerals, with an average area of 1250 nm². Their circularity was low, reflecting their irregular outline and high number of protrusions. The combined use of petrographic, TEM and image analysis techniques can complement other methods used to determine soil porosity and can provide a better understanding of the nature of the porosity of soils because it allows for quantification of size and shape of microscopic and ultramicroscopic pores as well as visual appreciation of their spatial arrangement.

Contribution no. R585 from the Saskatchewan Inst. of Pedology.

Received for publication June 15, 1988.

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