Soils and their distribution on Bambouto volcanic mountain, West Cameroon highland, Central Africa

Tematio, P., Kengni, L., Bitom, D., Hodson, M.E., Fopoussi, J.C., Leumbe, O., Mpakam, H.G. and Tsozué, D. (2004) Soils and their distribution on Bambouto volcanic mountain, West Cameroon highland, Central Africa. Journal of African Earth Science, 39 (3-5). pp. 447-457. doi: 10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2004.07.020

Abstract/Summary

Morphological, physical and chemical studies were carried out on soils of Mount Bambouto, a volcanic mountain of the West Cameroon highland. These studies show that the soils of this region can be divided into seven groups according to Soils Taxonomy USA [Soil taxonomy: a basic system of soil classification for making and interpreting soils surveys: USDA Agriculture Handbook 436: Washington, DC, US Government Pronting Office, 1975, 754]: lithic dystrandept soils, typical dystrandept soils, oxic dystrandept soils, typical haplohumox soils, typical kandiudox soils, tropopsamment soils and umbriaquox soils. A soils map of this region at scale 1:50,000 has been drawn up, using the seven soils groups above as soil cartography units. These soils are organised into of three main categories: soils with andic characteristics in the upper region of the mountain (lithic dystrandept soils, typical dystrandept soils and oxic dystrandept soils); ferrallitic soils in the lower part of the mountain (typical haplohumox soils and typical kandiudox soils) and imperfectly developed soils (tropopsamment soils and umbraquox soils).