Mineralogy of volcanically derived alluvial soils at Moshi, Tanzania
T. S. Taylor A C , J. C. Hughes A and L. W. Titshall A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Soil Science, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa.
B Present address: Institute for Commercial Forestry Research, PO Box 100281, Scottsville 3209, South Africa.
C Corresponding author. Email: terristorm.b@gmail.com
Soil Research 54(8) 926-936 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR15252
Submitted: 9 October 2014 Accepted: 11 April 2016 Published: 22 August 2016
Abstract
Despite intensive commercial agriculture in the rift zone of Tanzania, mineralogical studies on the soils influenced by volcanic parent materials are scarce. A mineralogical investigation of the soils and two buried ash layers from an irrigated sugar estate was undertaken using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and measurements of extractable iron, aluminium and silicon and the specific surface area (SSA) of the clay fraction. The dominant mineral in the sand and silt fractions was sanidine. The clay fractions contained mainly high-defect kaolin, illite and K-feldspar, with small amounts of calcite, talc and gibbsite in some samples. Electron microscopy revealed the presence of tubular and spheroidal halloysite and <0.5 µm kaolinite crystals, as well as nanocrystalline material, probably allophane, and volcanic glass. The amounts of ferrihydrite (0.34–1.84%) and allophane (0.52–6.84%) were low in the soils but higher in the buried ash layers. The surface areas of the clay fractions were high (up to 145 m2 g–1) and it was calculated that 5% allophane constituted 22% of the total SSA. Although all soils were dominated by halloysite and small kaolinite particles, it is likely that the small amounts of allophane with high SSA has a strong effect on their physical and chemical properties.
Additional keywords: allophane, halloysite, high-defect kaolinite, sanidine, specific surface area.
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