Spatial variability of soil aggregation evaluated by fractal geometry and geostatistics.

This work explored the applicability of the fractal theory for studies into space variability of soil aggregation. Fractal geometry has become a model for soil size particle distribution. The distribution of soil aggregates in terms of its mass was obtained, and model parameters such as the fractal dimension D, which is a representative measure of the soil fragmentation (the larger its value, the larger the fragmentation), and the largest aggregate size R-L were defined as descriptive tools for soil aggregation. The aggregates were collected at a depth of 0-10 cm of a Clayey Ferrasol in Angatuba, Sao Paulo. A regular grid of 100 x 100 M was used and samples collected from 76 points, where the aggregate distribution was determined by humid way (water, alcohol and benzene). Spatial dependence was verified by semivariogram exams. Simple kriging was used as interpolator, and contour maps were elaborated, proving to be useful tools to describe the spatial variability of soil aggregation.2811