Mineralogy of clay components of Aquic Arenic Paleudults soils of Akpamkpa, Southeastern Nigeria

Background and Objective: Aquic Arenic Paleudults soils are developed at valley bottom of a basement complex parent material of the sub-humid tropical rainforest. The aim of the study was to determine the mineralogy of clay components of Aquic Arenic Paleudults soils of Akpamkpa, Southeastern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: The study mineralogy of clay components of Aquic Arenic Paleudults soils of Akamkpa, southeastern Nigeria was carried out on 50 hectare land. Two soils were collected from each pedogenic horizon of a representative pedon dug at valley bottom from the depth: Ap = 0-12 cm and Bt1= 12-25 cm. The clay fraction of the soil was separated and the fine and coarse-clay fractions analyzed for its mineralogical content with the aid of an x-ray diffractometry (XRD). Results: The XRD analysis showed an abundance of available clay mineral in decreasing order of illite > chlorite > quartz > kaolinite and quartz > kaolinite > illite > montmorillonite > chlorite for surface and subsurface soils, respectively. The overall abundance of clay mineral components in the soil system were in decreasing order of illite > quartz > chlorite > kaolinite > montmorillonite. Illite proved to be the dominant clay mineral on both surface and subsurface. This relative amount of clay minerals may be attributed to weathering conditions probably due to internal drainage and interstratification. Conclusion: The study revealed that 2:1 expanding clay (illite) was predominant at the valley bottom of the landscape but often transformed through interstratification processes and thus should be utilized in crop production since they can retain input materials such as fertilizers and herbicides.