The distribution of soluble cations within chenopod-patterned ground, arid western New South Wales, Australia

The soluble cation (Na, Mg, K, Ca) concentrations of the soils underlying different vegetated/soil surface units were measured within a chenopod-patterned ground complex. It was found that distribution of soil cations within the chenopod-patterned ground is not uniform across the landscape. The data shows that there are at least three chemically distinct zones: the bare, intermediate, and vegetated areas, within chenopod-patterned ground. The bare areas, which are considered salt dumps, are dominated by sodium and its concentration decreases towards the centre of the vegetated arcs. The magnesium and calcium ions have a similar pattern of distribution across vegetated–bare ground transects, but in the vegetated arcs they are relatively more concentrated than the sodium ions. The potassium ions are concentrated in the vegetated arcs and decrease in the bare ground. A model is proposed to explain how the spatial distribution of the soluble soil cations is maintained.