Causes of Soil Salinization: 1. A Basin in Southern Alberta, Canada

Abstract

Abstract The cause of soil Salinization affecting 1700 ha of a basin in southern Alberta, Canada was examined. Water‐table data indicate that ground water recharges over a large diffuse area to the south of the salinized lands. Hydraulic‐head and hydraulic‐conductivity data and stream‐function modeling show that the recharging ground water travels laterally towards the salinized area in shallow, permeable beds of the Foremost Formation. The presence of an angular unconformity between the shallow, flat‐lying bedrock and the overlying Quaternary deposits causes the ground water to discharge at the salinized area. Calculated discharge rate to the salinized area ranges from 2 to 40 mm/yr.