Human-Altered and Human-Transported Soils in an Italian Industrial District

In many Mediterranean regions industrial activities have drastically affected soil evolution. As a case study, reference is made to an important Chemical Industrial District of southern Italy (Sardinia). Its setting up and development resulted in the formation of human-altered and human-transported (HAHT) soils, largely through physical-mechanical excavation, transportation and rolling out the original soils (Palexeralfs, Haploxeralfs), as well as mixing and covering them with innocuous artifacts referred to as human-transported materials (HTM). On this basis, research began with a view to evaluating the anthropogenic processes in addition to the main morphological and physical-chemical characteristics of HAHT soils as compared with reference soils (RefS), their pedovariability and the classification of HAHT soils through Soil Taxonomy. The anthro-pedoturbation induced by mixing HTM to preexisting-presently buried-soils has dramatically disturbed the "natural" pedogenetic evolution, and driven the pro-isotropic processes leading the HAHT soils to much more simplified morphology and homogenization of chemical-physical features, with an impressive loss of pedovariability. They currently meet the requirements for a "mantle" classifiable as Alfic Xerarents, as an expression of the "entisolization" that induced a taxonomic shift from Alfisols to anthropogenic Entisols.