86
WALLACE H. FULLER
nate. Meadow-Brown, meadow-Chestnut, and meadow-Solonchak occur
in the wetter depressions. Shifting and overgrown sands, Brown and lightbrown Chestnut, poorly developed soils are widely scattered over the
eastern part of the desert.
The Ala Shan Desert soils are characterized by a paucity of vegetation,
compact surface, very dry conditions, and low humus content. Lime and
gypsum usually are present. A great portion of the land is covered with
sand. The basic desert soils in the Ala Shan are the Gray-Brown. Solonchak
(crusty and crusty-downy) are found in landlocked depressions. Gravel
and rock debris surfaces are common.
Soils of the Bei Shan (Peishan) Desert are zonal gray-brown type, more
or less salinized. Aeolian sands predominate in the northeastern portion,
whereas coarse rock and gravel form the parent material in the other parts
of the desert. Desert pavement of "varnished gravel" covers fine silty soils
of the peripheral piedmont plains. Soils generally have pale colors of gray
and tan. Meadow-Solonchak occur in the mountain depressions. Gypsum
and lime accumulate in the lower soil horizons. Vegetation is sparsely
present and it has a typical desert appearance. In dry river channels
coragana, wolfberry, and calligonum are encountered.
In the Tsaidam Desert the climate is extremely arid and supports only
immature soils. Desert Gray-brown, coarse-skeletal soils develop which are
highly gypsiferous (Petrov, 1966, Vol. 2). They form on gravel, gravelly
sand, and sand parent material. All soils contain some lime. Meadow-salt
and Meadow and Meadow-Gray soils form in wet, saline depressions and
lake bottoms. Much of this desert is saline. The total ground coverage with
vegetation rarely exceeds 5-7% (Petrov, 1966, Vol. 2). Salt-tolerant
plants predominate.
J. AUSTRALIAN
Over half of the land surface of the Australian continent is desert.
However, land survey and soil classification has received unusually fine
attention despite the vast, harsh wildernesses of stony and sandy surfaces.
Agriculture is concentrated on the more humid soils at the periphery of the
desert on bands of land nearest the oceans. The Australian deserts are
located mostly at an elevation of 300-600 meters (Stephens, 1953;
Fournier, 1963) on the Great Plateau.
Deep, partly mobile sand hills and partly stabilized dunes occupy extensive areas. The Simpson Desert and those south of the MacDonnell Ranges
in Central Australia, and in the northern portion of Western Australia,
are noted for red sandy soils with only slight evidence of profile development (Stephens, 1953, 1961). Smaller areas of sand are found along with
WALLACE H. FULLER
nate. Meadow-Brown, meadow-Chestnut, and meadow-Solonchak occur
in the wetter depressions. Shifting and overgrown sands, Brown and lightbrown Chestnut, poorly developed soils are widely scattered over the
eastern part of the desert.
The Ala Shan Desert soils are characterized by a paucity of vegetation,
compact surface, very dry conditions, and low humus content. Lime and
gypsum usually are present. A great portion of the land is covered with
sand. The basic desert soils in the Ala Shan are the Gray-Brown. Solonchak
(crusty and crusty-downy) are found in landlocked depressions. Gravel
and rock debris surfaces are common.
Soils of the Bei Shan (Peishan) Desert are zonal gray-brown type, more
or less salinized. Aeolian sands predominate in the northeastern portion,
whereas coarse rock and gravel form the parent material in the other parts
of the desert. Desert pavement of "varnished gravel" covers fine silty soils
of the peripheral piedmont plains. Soils generally have pale colors of gray
and tan. Meadow-Solonchak occur in the mountain depressions. Gypsum
and lime accumulate in the lower soil horizons. Vegetation is sparsely
present and it has a typical desert appearance. In dry river channels
coragana, wolfberry, and calligonum are encountered.
In the Tsaidam Desert the climate is extremely arid and supports only
immature soils. Desert Gray-brown, coarse-skeletal soils develop which are
highly gypsiferous (Petrov, 1966, Vol. 2). They form on gravel, gravelly
sand, and sand parent material. All soils contain some lime. Meadow-salt
and Meadow and Meadow-Gray soils form in wet, saline depressions and
lake bottoms. Much of this desert is saline. The total ground coverage with
vegetation rarely exceeds 5-7% (Petrov, 1966, Vol. 2). Salt-tolerant
plants predominate.
J. AUSTRALIAN
Over half of the land surface of the Australian continent is desert.
However, land survey and soil classification has received unusually fine
attention despite the vast, harsh wildernesses of stony and sandy surfaces.
Agriculture is concentrated on the more humid soils at the periphery of the
desert on bands of land nearest the oceans. The Australian deserts are
located mostly at an elevation of 300-600 meters (Stephens, 1953;
Fournier, 1963) on the Great Plateau.
Deep, partly mobile sand hills and partly stabilized dunes occupy extensive areas. The Simpson Desert and those south of the MacDonnell Ranges
in Central Australia, and in the northern portion of Western Australia,
are noted for red sandy soils with only slight evidence of profile development (Stephens, 1953, 1961). Smaller areas of sand are found along with