MOVEMENT OF SOIL PARTICLES IN SALTATION

Abstract

A study was made of the manner in which the movement of particles involved in saltation was initiated. The paths of flight of these particles while air borne were also studied.Evidence is presented to show initiation of movement can be caused by impulsive forces generated by differences in wind velocity, and by the distribution of particles, at the soil surface. Photographs of particles in saltation show that the paths of descent are nearly straight lines with an angle of incidence of about 6 ± 4 degrees. The data suggest that constant velocity in both the forward and downward directions is attained very quickly and that these velocities remain in essentially a constant ratio for most of the downward path.