Linear fractal analysis of three Mexican soils in different management systems

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to document the fractal nature of three soils of Mexico with contrasting genesis and marked differences in morphology and to estimate the fractal dimensions of their sets of aggregates and pores. These dimensions were estimated along lines and were called linear fractal dimensions. A single, ‘ideal’ fractal dimensionality was detected in the three soils studied. The soil linear fractal dimensions, calculated from macro and micromorphological data, had larger values than the dimension of the Cantor fractal dust model, but were less than unity. It was shown, that the fractal structure of the soil pore space could not be described by the same dimension as that of the aggregates. The linear fractal dimensions of soils of distinct genesis, were significantly different on all scales compared, but the differences fluctuated between 0.4% and 9.1%.