Mineralogical and petrographical studies of agricultural soil, Assiut Governorate, Egypt

Background The lack of information about the Egyptian soil needs more attention, especially mineralogical, petrographical studies, and quality data. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical parameters of north Assiut agricultural soil; pH, moisture%, CaCO 3 %, organic matter (OM%), and mineralogical contents of the studied soil. Results The studied soil is characterized by alkaline nature, low organic matter, and high CaCO 3 %. Mineralogically, the studied agricultural soil samples consist mainly of quartz, plagioclase, and minor calcite (as non-clay minerals), as well as montmorillonite, vermiculite, and illite in decreasing abundance order as clay minerals. The plagioclase consists of two minerals; calcined albite and anorthite. Conclusion The clay minerals in the studied soils may be derived from the old alluvial plain (Plio-Pleistocene sediments) by successive Nile floods and reworking. The recorded clay minerals in the studied soils are montmorillonite, vermiculite, and illite in decreasing order of abundance. They have the ability to retain the irrigation water and adsorb more exchangeable cations in aqueous media which can feed the plants.