Soil Research Bodenkundliche Forschungen Recherches sur Ie Sol

Soil Research—Bodenkundliche Forschungen
Recherches sur Ie Sol
Supplements to the Proceedings of the International
Society of SoilScience — Beiheft zu den Mitteilungen
der Internationalen Bodenkundlichen Gesellschaft —
Supplements aux Comptes Rendus de I'Association de
la Science du Sol
VoL/Bd.VI 1938 Nol
The Genesis of Some Loamy Soils of Palestine
Especially Regarding their Colloidal Part
(Genese de quelques sols limoneux de la Palestine spécialement
en ce qui concerne leurs particules colloidales. — Die
Entstehung einiger Lehmböden Palastinas unterbesonderer
Berücksichtigung ihres kolloiden Anteils)
by
Felix Menchikovsky
Agro-Chemical Institute Tel-Aviv, Palestine
The diversity of Palestinian soils depends on various factors the
most important of which are climatic and geological. Prom a general
point of view it is of importance and of great practical value to interprete
these soils with regard to their genesis. The data and conclusions
given below refer chiefly to the heavy soils of northern Palestine.
Red Loamy Soils
The western slopes of the Judean Mountains, the adjacent parts
of the Coastal Plain as well as the greater part of the Esdraelon Plain
and the Valley of Jizreel are covered with red loamy soil. The parent
rocks of the loamy soils in the Esdraelon and Coastal Plains are the
hmestones of Senon, Senoman and Turon. Of the same origin are the
soils of the southern part of the Valley of Jizreel. Soils extending
along the northern border of the Valley of Jizreel and those covering
the slopes of middle Galhlee are formed of plagioclase, porphyr and
diorite varieties of basalt (1). Among these soils are found spots of
mixed origin, which are formed of both hmestone and basalt rocks.
In the study of soil profile two different layers are distinguished:
the surface layer from 0 to 40 —50 cm. depth being of a friable structure,
Beiheft Bodenkundliche Gesellschaft 1
2.6 4V 5