Soil in Dogu'a Tembien

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Red-black soil catena in Addi Selam (Hagere Selam Highlands) - A is Luvisol and B is Vertisol Red black soil catena in Addi Selam.tif
Red-black soil catena in Addi Selam (Hagere Selam Highlands) - A is Luvisol and B is Vertisol
Soil in Dogu'a Tembien
Stratigraphic range: Holocene
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Mazi-Pellic Vertisol (Eutric) Thapto Haplic Leptosol at Mere'a Ziban Ethiopia.jpg
Mazi-Pellic Vertisol in the Hagere Selam Highlands
Type Soilscape
Thickness2 m (6.6 ft)
Lithology
Primary Clay, Loam
Other Sand, Rocks
Location
Coordinates 13°30′N39°10′E / 13.5°N 39.16°E / 13.5; 39.16
Region Tigray
CountryFlag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia
Extent Dogu'a Tembien
Ethiopia rel location map.svg
Blue pog.svg
Soil in Dogu'a Tembien (Ethiopia)

The soils of the Dogu'a Tembien woreda (district) in Tigray (Ethiopia) reflect its longstanding agricultural history, highly seasonal rainfall regime, relatively low temperatures, an extremely great variety in lithology (with dominance of basalts and limestone) and steep slopes. Outstanding features in the soilscape are the fertile highland Vertisols and Phaeozems in forests. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Factors contributing to soil diversity

Climate

Annual rainfall depth is very variable with an average of around 800 mm. [6] Most rains fall during the main rainy season, which typically extends from June to September. Mean temperature in woreda town Hagere Selam is 16.8 °C, oscillating between average daily minimum of 9.3 °C and maximum of 24.1 °C. The contrasts between day and night air temperatures are much larger than seasonal contrasts. [7]

Geology

From the higher to the lower locations, the following geological formations are present: [8]

Topography

As part of the Ethiopian highlands the land has undergone a rapid tectonic uplift, leading the occurrence of mountain peaks, plateaus, valleys and gorges.

Land use

Generally speaking the level lands and intermediate slopes are occupied by cropland, while there is rangeland and shrubs on the steeper slopes. Remnant forests occur around Orthodox Christian churches and a few inaccessible places. A recent trend is the widespread planting of eucalyptus trees.

Environmental changes

Soil degradation in this district became important when humans started deforestation almost 5000 years ago. [12] [13] Depending on land use history, locations have been exposed in varying degrees to such land degradation.

Geomorphic regions and soil units

Given the complex geology and topography of the district, it has been organised into land systems - areas with specific and unique geomorphic and geological characteristics, characterised by a particular soil distribution along the soil catena. [14] [15] [16] Soil types are classified in line with World Reference Base for Soil Resources and reference made to main characteristics that can be observed in the field.

Hagere Selam Highlands

Typical catena in the Hagere Selam highlands Hagere Selam highlands.tif
Typical catena in the Hagere Selam highlands
Luvisol in Dingilet Alaji Basalts provide fertile soils.jpg
Luvisol in Dingilet

This land system occurs on the central basalt plateau and adjacent ridges; Hagere Selam is entirely in this land system, which is also predominant in tabias Selam, Mahbere Sillasie, Melfa, Lim'at, Seret, Simret, Mika'el Abiy as well as Arebay.

Gallery: soil profiles in the Hagere Selam Highlands

Basalt plateau

Typical catena on the Basalt plateau Basalt plateau.tif
Typical catena on the Basalt plateau
Gumuara village on the basalt plateau Lower basalt - La'ilay Gumuara.jpg
Gumuara village on the basalt plateau

This land system occurs on the westernmost ridges of Dogu'a Tembien, where basalt is overlying Adigrat Sandstone without intervening Antalo Limestone; it is predominant in tabias Menachek, Mizan, Aregen and Degol Woyane.

Adigrat Sandstone cliff and footslope

Typical catena on the Adigrat Sandstone cliff and footslope in and near Avergele Adigrat Sandstone cliff and footslope in Avergele.tif
Typical catena on the Adigrat Sandstone cliff and footslope in and near Avergele
Lithic Leptosols around Dabba Selama monastery Dabba Selama monastery on a small mesa in Adigrat Sandstone, in Dogu'a Tembien, Ethiopia.jpg
Lithic Leptosols around Dabba Selama monastery

This land system occurs on the steep slopes towards the southwestern lowlands; it occupies large areas of tabias Walta, Simret, Mizan, Aregen, Degol Woyane, Mahbere Sillasie and Haddinnet.

Alluvial plain of Giba River

Typical catena in the alluvial plain of Giba River at the edge of Abergele Alluvial plain of Giba River in Avergele.tif
Typical catena in the alluvial plain of Giba River at the edge of Abergele
At Kemishana, the Giba River leaves its gorge and enters in the alluvial plain Kemishana in Walta.jpg
At Kemishana, the Giba River leaves its gorge and enters in the alluvial plain

This land system occurs in Kemishana at the southwestern side of Dogu'a Tembien, where the Giba River gorge widens up when entering into the Abergele lowlands.

Strongly incised Giba gorge

Typical catena in the severely incised Giba gorge CeB2 Severely incised Giba catena.tif
Typical catena in the severely incised Giba gorge
Slopes of the Giba gorge at Addi Lihtsi, with incense trees Giba gorge at Addi Lihtsi.jpg
Slopes of the Giba gorge at Addi Lihtsi, with incense trees

This land system occurs on in the deeply incised gorge of Giba River, at the lower side of tabias Walta, Inda Sillasie, Amanit and Debre Nazret.

Gently rolling Antalo Limestone plateau, holding cliffs and valley bottoms

Typical catena in the gently rolling Antalo limestone plateau CeUP3 Gently rolling Antalo limestone plateau catena.tif
Typical catena in the gently rolling Antalo limestone plateau
Quarrying of Antalo Limestone covered with Vertic Cambisol in Addi Ateroman May Qarano quarry in Antalo Limestone.jpg
Quarrying of Antalo Limestone covered with Vertic Cambisol in Addi Ateroman

This land system occurs on Antalo Limestone, it is predominant in tabias Walta, Inda Sillasie, Ayninbirkekin, Amanit and Debre Nazret.

Gently undulating Agula shale plateau with dolerite

Typical catena on the undulating Agula shale plateau with dolerite CeP1 Undulating Agula shale plateau with dolerite catena.tif
Typical catena on the undulating Agula shale plateau with dolerite
Landscape on Agula Shale in Haddinnet 48. May Leiba (catchment 2).jpg
Landscape on Agula Shale in Haddinnet

This land system occurs on Agula Shale at the east of Dogu'a Tembien, it is predominant in tabias Addi Azmera, Mizane Birhan and parts of Debre Nazret, Haddinnet and Addilal.

Incised Giba plateau, upstream of (future) Lake Giba

Typical catena on the incised Giba plateau CeI1 Incised Giba plateau catena.tif
Typical catena on the incised Giba plateau
View on the incised Giba plateau, down from Ts'arot Ch'erkos church forest in Arebay.jpg
View on the incised Giba plateau, down from Ts'arot

This land system occurs on Antalo Limestone; it is predominant in tabias Emni Ankelalu and Addilal.

Giba wide valley bottom

Typical catena in the Giba wide valley bottom CeB1 Giba wide valley bottom catena.tif
Typical catena in the Giba wide valley bottom
The Giba wide valley bottom Giba dam under construction.jpg
The Giba wide valley bottom

This land system occurs where the Giba valley widens; it occurs only at the lower places of tabia Emni Ankelalu and will be flooded once the Lake Giba reservoir will be filled.

Soil erosion and conservation

The reduced soil protection by vegetation cover, combined with steep slopes and erosive rainfall has led to excessive soil erosion. [12] [17] [18] Nutrients and organic matter were lost and soil depth was reduced. Hence, soil erosion is an important problem, which results in low crop yields and biomass production. [19] [20] As a response to the strong degradation and thanks to the hard labour of many people in the villages, soil conservation has been carried out on a large scale since the 1980s and especially 1980s; this has curbed rates of soil loss. [21] [22]

Measures include the construction of infiltration trenches, stone bunds, [23] check dams, [24] small reservoirs such as Chini and May Leiba as well as a major biological measure: exclosures in order to allow forest regeneration. [3] On the other hand, it remains difficult to convince farmers to carry out measures within the farmland (in situ soil management), such as bed and furrows or zero grazing, as there is a fear for loss of income from the land. Such techniques are however very effective. [25]

References

  1. ↑ Nyssen, Jan; Tielens, Sander; Gebreyohannes, Tesfamichael; Araya, Tigist; Teka, Kassa; Van De Wauw, Johan; Degeyndt, Karen; Descheemaeker, Katrien; Amare, Kassa; Haile, Mitiku; Zenebe, Amanuel; Munro, Neil; Walraevens, Kristine; Gebrehiwot, Kindeya; Poesen, Jean; Frankl, Amaury; Tsegay, Alemtsehay; Deckers, Jozef (2019). "Understanding spatial patterns of soils for sustainable agriculture in northern Ethiopia's tropical mountains". PLOS ONE. 14 (10) e0224041. Bibcode:2019PLoSO..1424041N. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224041 . PMC   6804989 . PMID   31639144.
  2. ↑ Nyssen, J.; Naudts, J.; De Geyndt, K.; Haile, Mitiku; Poesen, J.; Moeyersons, J.; Deckers, J. (2008). "Soils and land use in the Tigray highlands (Northern Ethiopia)". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 19 (3): 257–274. doi:10.1002/ldr.840. S2CID   128492271.
  3. 1 2 Descheemaeker, K. and colleagues (2006). "Sediment deposition and pedogenesis in exclosures in the Tigray Highlands, Ethiopia". Geoderma. 132 (3–4): 291–314. Bibcode:2006Geode.132..291D. doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2005.04.027.
  4. ↑ Van de Wauw, J. and colleagues (2008). "Soil-landscape relationships in the basalt-dominated highlands of Tigay, Ethiopia". Catena. 75: 117–127. doi:10.1016/j.catena.2008.04.006.
  5. ↑ Hunting Technical Services. Central Tigre Development Study – Tigre Province Ethiopia, Working Paper I: Soils and land classification. Hemel Hempstead (U.K.): Hunting Technical Services Ltd.
  6. ↑ Jacob, M. and colleagues (2013). "Assessing spatio-temporal rainfall variability in a tropical mountain area (Ethiopia) using NOAAs Rainfall Estimates". International Journal of Remote Sensing. 34 (23): 8305–8321. Bibcode:2013IJRS...34.8319J. doi:10.1080/01431161.2013.837230. hdl: 1854/LU-4252226 . S2CID   140560276.
  7. ↑ Jacob, M. and colleagues (2019). Dogu'a Tembien's Tropical Mountain Climate. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains — The Dogu'a Tembien District. SpringerNature. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_3. ISBN   978-3-030-04954-6. S2CID   199105560.
  8. ↑ Sembroni, A.; Molin, P.; Dramis, F. (2019). Regional geology of the Dogu'a Tembien massif. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains — The Dogu'a Tembien District. SpringerNature. ISBN   978-3-030-04954-6.
  9. ↑ Bosellini, A.; Russo, A.; Fantozzi, P.; Assefa, G.; Tadesse, S. (1997). "The Mesozoic succession of the Mekelle Outlier (Tigrai Province, Ethiopia)". Mem. Sci. Geol. 49: 95–116.
  10. ↑ Tefera, M.; Chernet, T.; Haro, W. Geological Map of Ethiopia (1:2,000,000). Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Ethiopian Institute of Geological Survey.
  11. ↑ Moeyersons, J. and colleagues (2006). "Age and backfill/overfill stratigraphy of two tufa dams, Tigray Highlands, Ethiopia: Evidence for Late Pleistocene and Holocene wet conditions". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 230 (1–2): 162–178. Bibcode:2006PPP...230..165M. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2005.07.013.
  12. 1 2 Nyssen, Jan; Poesen, Jean; Moeyersons, Jan; Deckers, Jozef; Haile, Mitiku; Lang, Andreas (2004). "Human impact on the environment in the Ethiopian and Eritrean highlands - a state of the art". Earth-Science Reviews. 64 (3–4): 273–320. Bibcode:2004ESRv...64..273N. doi:10.1016/S0012-8252(03)00078-3.
  13. ↑ Blond, N. and colleagues (2018). "Terrasses alluviales et terrasses agricoles. Première approche des comblements sédimentaires et de leurs aménagements agricoles depuis 5000 av. n. è. à Wakarida (Éthiopie)" (PDF). Géomorphologie: Relief, Processus, Environnement. 24 (3): 277–300. doi:10.4000/geomorphologie.12258. S2CID   134513245.
  14. ↑ Bui, E.N. (2004). "Soil survey as a knowledge system". Geoderma. 120 (1–2): 17–26. Bibcode:2004Geode.120...17B. doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2003.07.006.
  15. ↑ "Principes de la cartographie des pédopaysages dans les Alpes". Écologie. 29 (1–2): 49. 1998. ProQuest   223074690.
  16. ↑ Tielens, Sander (2012). Towards a soil map of the Geba catchment using benchmark soils. MSc thesis. Leuven, Belgium: K.U.Leuven.
  17. ↑ Demel Teketay (2001). "Deforestation, wood famine, and environmental degradation in Ethiopia's highland ecosystems: urgent need for action". Northeast African Studies. 8 (1): 53–76. doi:10.1353/nas.2005.0020. JSTOR   41931355. S2CID   145550500.
  18. ↑ Nyssen, Jan; Frankl, Amaury; Zenebe, Amanuel; Deckers, Jozef; Poesen, Jean (2015). "Land management in the northern Ethiopian highlands: local and global perspectives; past, present and future". Land Degradation & Development. 26 (7): 759–794. doi:10.1002/ldr.2336. S2CID   129501591.
  19. ↑ Vancampenhout, K. and colleagues (2019). Sheet and Rill Erosion and Its Control: Lessons from Dogu'a Tembien. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains — The Dogu'a Tembien District. SpringerNature. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_21. ISBN   978-3-030-04954-6. S2CID   199110301.
  20. ↑ Frankl, A. and colleagues (2019). Gully Erosion and Control in the Tembien Highlands. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains — The Dogu'a Tembien District. SpringerNature. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_22. ISBN   978-3-030-04954-6. S2CID   199099185.
  21. ↑ Farmland Management, Tillage and Resulting Cultivation Terraces. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains — The Dogu'a Tembien District. SpringerNature. 2019. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_26. ISBN   978-3-030-04954-6. S2CID   199097368.
  22. ↑ Reubens, B. and colleagues (2019). Research-Based Development Projects in Dogu'a Tembien. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains — The Dogu'a Tembien District. SpringerNature. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_30. ISBN   978-3-030-04954-6. S2CID   199261393.
  23. ↑ Nyssen, Jan; Poesen, Jean; Gebremichael, Desta; Vancampenhout, Karen; d'Aes, Margo; Yihdego, Gebremedhin; Govers, Gerard; Leirs, Herwig; Moeyersons, Jan; Naudts, Jozef; Haregeweyn, Nigussie; Haile, Mitiku; Deckers, Jozef (2007). "Interdisciplinary on-site evaluation of stone bunds to control soil erosion on cropland in Northern Ethiopia". Soil and Tillage Research. 94 (1): 151–163. doi:10.1016/j.still.2006.07.011. hdl: 1854/LU-378900 .
  24. ↑ Nyssen, J.; Veyret-Picot, M.; Poesen, J.; Moeyersons, J.; Haile, Mitiku; Deckers, J.; Govers, G. (2004). "The effectiveness of loose rock check dams for gully control in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia". Soil Use and Management. 20: 55–64. doi:10.1111/j.1475-2743.2004.tb00337.x. S2CID   98547102.
  25. ↑ Tewodros Gebreegziabher, and colleagues (2009). "Contour furrows for in situ soil and water conservation, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia". Soil and Tillage Research. 103 (2): 257–264. doi:10.1016/j.still.2008.05.021.
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