R Molavi, M Baghernejad, E Adhami,
Volume 13, Issue 49 (10-2009)
Abstract
Fire is widely used to clear farms in Iran, while there is little information regarding the effects of fire on the characteristics, especially mineralogy of soils. The objectives of the present study were to 1) compare some physico-chemical properties of burned and unburned soils and 2) evaluate minerals transformation in top soil layer resulting from increasing temperature. Soil samples were taken from 0-5 and 5-15 cm depths of two burned places, an agricultural soil from Takht-e-Jamshid area and Bamoo forest, in four replications. Physico-chemical analyses were carried out on burned and unburned samples. X-ray diffraction technique was used to identify minerals of clay fraction in 0-5 cm depth burned and unburned soil, and also to compare transformation of minerals (if any) after heating at 300˚C and 600˚C for 2, 4, 8 and 12 h. Burning increased soil pH and sand sized fraction in 0-5 cm, and P and K in both depths of Bamoo forest. Changes in soil properties of agricultural filed were negligible. XRD analyses showed the reduction in the intensity peaks of chlorite and illite after burning. Lower relative quantity of chlorite and illite was observed in various times of 300˚C treatment in comparison to control, while they were not observed in 8 and 12 h of 600˚C. No change was observed in the peak of quartz in forest and field soils after burning and after various heat treatments.
