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Chapter 2: Characterization of Riparian Areas
Riparian Soils
- Erosion and deposition of sediments in floodwaters and the interaction of these processes with floodplain vegetation creates a wide range of soils found in riparian areas.
- Riparian soils are heavily influenced by their geomorphic setting. Gradient is the key for the composition of soil substrates along streams:
- In high gradient stream reaches, typical of high elevation areas in Arizona, riparian soils are typically coarse textured to the surface with large percentage of coarse fragments.
- Riparian soils in low gradient stream reaches have typically finer textured surface horizons (layers) over layers of coarse sand gravels or cobbles.
Figure 2.5. Soils with coarser sediment in a high gradient stream (left) and soils with finer texture sediment in large lowland stream (right).
- Riparian soils because of their exposure to fluvial processes are typically young and do not show extensive horizon development compared to their terrestrial upland counterparts.
- Deposition during flood events of differing magnitude creates soil profiles of contrasting texture and coarse fragment composition typical of low gradient reaches.
Figure 2.6. Layers with different textures along a stream bank soil profile that represent flooding events of different magnitude.
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