What Is Catenary Topography

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Recommended: Essay of soil

Student: Jemima Bijoux
Student number: 213429314
Module: GEN 211
Lecturer: D. Ahgoo

Topic: "Studying soils along a slope is one of the simplest, yet most elegant ways to discern spatial interrelationships between soil and topography” (Sommer and Schlichting, 1997). Elucidate.

Introduction
According to FitzPatrick (1971: 284), the term catena is referred to as “[a] sequence of soils developed from similar parent material under similar climatic conditions but whose characteristics differ because of variations in relief and drainage.”
The aim of my assignment is to provide a clear understanding of the spatial interrelationship between soil and topography. I intend to provide relevant information based upon the different processes that are responsible to catenary differentiation. I will elaborate about the occurrence of colour differences of catena, as well as catena in different environments. I will make use of applicable figures to substantiate the different findings I have come up with based on catena.
Processes responsible to catenary differentiation
Schaetzl and Anderson (2007) states that various processes are responsible for the catenary differentiation, namely erosion and deposition, lateral eluviation, weathering and processes associated with the position of the water table. These processes are linked with each other to form a catenary differentiation, and are not considered to occur separately.
Young (1976) states that erosion occurs naturally on slopes in the form of surface wash, soil creep, solution and rapid mass movement. Gerrard (1981) affirms that the upper slope of a catena experiences a higher erosion rate compared to the lower slope resulting into a variation from an identical soil cover. As water...

... middle of paper ...

...in tropical and subtropical environment but can be analyzed also in other regions of the world with a complex geology.

Reference
Bridges, E. M. 1970. World soils. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
FitzPatrick, E. A. 1971. Pedology: A systematic approach to soil science. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd.
Gerrard, A. J. 1981. Soils and Landforms: An integration of geomorphology and pedology. London: George Allen and Unwin Limited.
Schaetzl, R. and Anderson, S. 2005. Soils: Genesis and Geomorphology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Waugh, D. 2009. Geography: An integrated approach. London: Nelson Thornes.
Young, A. 1976. Tropical soils and soil survey. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Unknown Author (n.d). Slopes.
[Online]Available:http://sageography.myschoolstuff.co.za/geogwiki/grade-11-caps/grade-11-caps-geomorphology/slopes/ [Accessed 17 March 2014]

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