Laser diffraction analysis of the disintegration of aeolian sedimentary aggregates in water

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

MASON, J.A.

Dep. of Geography, Univ. Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Etats-Unis

GREENE, R.S.B.

Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National Univ., Canberra, Australie

JOECKEL, R.M.

School of Natural resources and Dep. of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Etats-Unis

Description :
A new method for the analysis of aggregate disintegration in water was tested using aeolian sediment samples. Repeated laser diffraction analysis of a single sample circulating in deionized water provides a detailed view of the changes in particle size distribution as aggregates disintegrate. This methodology also allows experiments on the effects of water chemistry, exchangeable cation chemistry, and prewetting. The results suggest that aggregates of widely varying stabilities can occur in a wide range of particle size classes; that is, aggregate stability may to some extent be independent of the hierarchy of aggregate sizes emphasized in earlier research. The methods described here are applicable to a wide range of soils and sediments.

Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Catena (Giessen), issn : 0341-8162, 2011, vol. 87, n°. 1, p. 107-118, nombre de pages : 12, Références bibliographiques : 50 ref.

Date :
2011

Editeur :
Pays édition : Allemagne, Cremlingen-Destedt, Catena

Langue :
Anglais