Gullies and rills on sodic soils. Petrer (Alicante, Spain)

Abstract

This paper concerns with the interaction between piping processes and the development of gullies and rills in different sub-systems (hillslopes and valley floor fills) present in a small catchment in SE Spain. The influence of several soil and regolith properties over forms associated to piping is analyzed. Rill-pipe systems are on the badland hillslopes mainly related with the sodium absorption rate (SAR) and the electrical conductivity (EC) of the soils. In contrast at valley fills these chemical properties interact with the discontinuities of the hydraulic gradient introduced by the agricultural terraces and the forced infiltration provided by some agricultural practices.

Keywords

• piping
• cárcavas
• regueros
• badlands