The general geology of the Hebron District is displayed in figure 5.1 . The following lithologic units (from the oldest to the youngest) cover the area:
The major soil associations found in the Hebron District, see figure 5.2 are classified as following:
These types of soil associations cover about 2,300 hectares of the eastern border of the Hebron District. They are generally characterized by bare rocks and slight soil depths especially at plateau and moderately sloping areas. The soil is originally formed from hard limestone, dolomite and chalks mother rocks. The principal vegetation is shrubs, mainly Retama roetam, Anabasis articulata, and Zygophyllum dumosum. Use of this soil type for is currently limited to grazing, especially, where natural valleys and depressions occur allowing for increased vegetation growth. The American great classification that represents these soils is Terriorthents.
These types of soil associations cover an area of about 12,200 hectares of the Hebron District, mainly the steep to moderate rocky and eroded eastern slopes of the district. Brown lithosols are found in pockets among the rocks. Loessial arid brown soils are found on flat hilltops, plateau and footslopes. The parent rocks of this soil association are chalk, marl, limestone and conglomerates. Major vegetation growing on these soils is Aretemisietea herbaealbae. The American great classification that represents these soils are Haploxeralfs, Xerochrepts and Terriorthents..
These types of soil associations dominates the area of Hebron, Halhul, Dura, Yatta, Idna, El Samu' and El Dahriya, covering an area of 55,900 hectares. Around 3050% of these soils are outcropped with rocks. On such areas, cultivation of grapes and olives, field crops (wheat and barley), and grazing are the main land uses, especially in shallow and steep slopes. According to the American great group classification, these soils represent the associations of Xerorthents and Haploxerolls.
These types of soil associations occupy a total area of approximately 23,300 hectares, mainly in the central part of Hebron District. Similar to the previous soil types, rock outcrops in these soils are almost 3050%. The major native vegetation cover is Ceratoni siliqua pistacia lentiscus. Land with these soil types is used to cultivate field crops, mainly wheat and barley, vineyards, olive and fruit trees. The American great group classification that represents these soil associations are Xerorthents, and Haploxerolls.
These types of soil associations characterize the eastern slope of the district, covering an area of about 9,700 hectares. These soils are originally formed from limestone, chalk, dolomite and flint. Major vegetation types found in these regions are Anavasetea articulatae and Zygophyllum. Such soils suffer from extensive erosion due to runoff, especially in steep slopes. These soil associations also suffer from salt accumulation due to limited salt leaching capabilities. The current land use is restricted to winter crops that are grown by Bedouins in some wadis. The American great group classification that represents these soil associations are Haplargids and Terriothents.
Dark Brown Soils cover an area of approximately 1,800 hectares in the Hebron District. The soils are distributed as elongated polygons on the western and eastern slopes of the district. In the western slopes this soil association is characterized by coarse textured residual dark brown soils. The parent rocks of this soil association are aeolian sediments, calcareous sandstone (Kurkar), and medium to fine textured alluvial deposits. Primary natural vegetation on this soil was destroyed. Today there is segetal vegetation of the Prosopis farcata scolymus maculatus. The American great group classification that represent this soil association are Xerorthents, and Haploxerolls.
| No | Soil Assoc-iation | Area (ha.) | American Classi-fication | Location | General Charac-teristics | Natural Vegetation | Rainfal (mm/y) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bare rocks and desert lithosols | 2,295.6 | Torriorthents | eastern border | Bare rocks, rarely small depth of soil | Retama raetam, Anabasis articulata, and Zygophyllum dumosum | 80-100
|
| 2 | Brown lithosols & loessial arid brown soils | 12,207.7 | Torriorthents Xerochrepts Haploxeralfs | eastern slopes | marl, chalk, limestone and conglomerates parent rocks. Xeric moisture regime, the soil has ochric surface epipedon with low organic matter < 0.6% and massive structure. Parent material is loessial sediments. | Ballotetelia undulatae, Artemisietea herbae. | 200-350
|
| 3 | Brown & pale rendzinas | 55,895.7 | Xerochrepts | Hilly slopes | Xeric moisture regime, it has a reddish brown color. Soil structure is crumby. Texture is loamy or clay, about 30% is stony. Parent material is soft chalk and marl. | Pinus haleness and Pistachio palaestina. | 600-700
|
| Haploxerolls | Valleys and depressions | Xeric moisture regime. It has dark reddish brown color with clay and with gentle slope. Parent rocks are marl and chalk. | Quercus ithaburensis, Pistacia lentiscus, Ceratonia siliqua and Ballotetalia undulatae. | 300-700
|
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| 4 | Terra rossas, brown and pale rendzinas | 23,269.1 | Xerochrepts Xerorthents | central mountains | Terra rossa type, the parent materials are dolomite and hard limestone, the soil depth varies from shallow to deep (0.52m) Xeric moisture regime, deep in hilltops and shallow in sloppy mountainous areas. Soil has a reddish brown color with subangular blocky structure. | Quercus calliprinos, Pistacia palaestina and Pistacia lentiscus. | 400-700
|
| Haploxerolls Small | Same plateau of the mountains | Same as Xerochrepts with the exception that it has a base saturation of 75%. | Pistachio atlantica, Amygdalus korschinskiiand Pistacia palaestina. | 400-700
|
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| 5 | Brown lithosols & loessial Serozems | 9,755.9 | Haplargids Terriothents | moderate to steep hill | Shallow depth where concentrated on steep hill slops. Parent rocks are limestone, dolomite, chalk and flint. | Anabasis articulata, Zygophllum dumosum and Suaeda asphaltica. | 80-200
|
| 6 | Dark Brown soils | 1,825.9 | Xerorthents and Haploxerol | sloppy areas | It is characterized by coarse textured residual dark brown soils. The parent rocks are aeolian sediments, calcareous sandstone and medium to fine textured alluvial deposits. | Prosopis farcata-Scolymus maculatus | 350-500 |
