Fractal dimensions of soil particles and related affecting factors from the valley of upper Minjiang River

The fractal dimensions of particle-size (Ds) for 25 surface soil samples collected from the valley of upper Minjiang River had been calculated by the equation of volume fractal dimension. The spatial distribution of these Ds values as well as the correlations between Ds and volumetric contents of particle size, grain size parameters, and the Fed/Fet were analyzed, respectively. The spatial distribution of Ds was related to the climate and vegetation. Ds could be a proxy of the particle-size distribution. There was no correlation between Ds and standard deviation or kurtosis value, which indicated that the soil particle-size distribution had been controlled by in-site weathering of parent materials. A significant positive correlation occurred between Ds and Fed/Fet, reflecting that the fractal dimension might be used as an indicator for the degree of soil development.