Fractal parameters of pore surface area as influenced by simulated soil degradation

Pore surface area fractal parameters were estimated from Hg porosimetry data on samples of three soils. Three or four distinct intervals with different fractal dimensions were found in the range of pore radii from 4 nm to 5 μm. The simulated degradation caused an increase in fractal dimensions in one or more fractal intervals, thus manifesting the increased roughness and irregularity of the pore surfaces. The interval of the smallest radii had the highest average fractal dimension, close to 3. Neither organic matter oxidation nor cyclic wetting-drying significantly affected the boundaries between the fractal intervals. -from Authors