Soil Erosion by Wind Storms in a Pampean Semi-Arid Region of Argentina: An Environmental Magnetism Approach

Abstract

Wind storm events are erosive processes in susceptible soil areas, resulting in severe land degradation. Environmental magnetism methods offer a practical approach to assessing soil redistribution by wind and water. In this study, we applied magnetic techniques to analyze soil and wind-transported material from nine erosion events recorded in 1995 at two sites in the central Pampean Semi-Arid Region (Argentina) for two representative soils: an Entic Haplustoll S1 and a Typic Ustipsamment S2. Ferrimagnetic minerals (magnetite and maghemite) dominate high-coercivity minerals (hematite), and their sizes are <1 μm for eolian particle collections and soil samples. Mean values of magnetic susceptibility and saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM) of eolian particle collections exhibit similar patterns across erosion events. These variations appear to be more closely linked to seasonal meteorological conditions, such as rainfall and wind speed, rather than intrinsic soil properties. Correlation analysis between magnetic parameters and erosion indicators reveals a significant correlation between total soil loss (eolian erosion, 547–8754 kg ha−1, S1; and 224–25,472 kg ha−1, S2) and SIRM at both studied sites (Rplot 1 = 0.72 and Rplot 2 = 0.70; p < 0.05). These results suggest that the soil magnetic properties may serve as valuable indicators for studying wind-driven soil erosion.