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Volume 14
Issue 2
10.3390/land14020312
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Intrinsic Mechanisms of Differences in Wetting-Induced Deformation of Soils on Chinese Loess Plateau: Insights into Land Stability and Sustainable Management

by
Qiqi Liu
1,2,3,
Wanli Xie
1,2,3,*,
Hui Yang
1,2,3,
Kangze Yuan
1,2,3,
Siyu Zhang
1,2,3,
Xinyu Li
1,2,3,
Pengxin Qu
1,2,3,
Zhiyi Wu
1,2,3,
Jiahao Zhou
1,2,3 and
Xuanyu Gao
1,2,3
1
State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
2
Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
3
Xi’an Key Laboratory of Prevention of Loess Dynamic Disaster and Restoration of Environment, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Land 2025, 14(2), 312; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14020312
Submission received: 24 December 2024 / Revised: 24 January 2025 / Accepted: 1 February 2025 / Published: 3 February 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Land, Soil and Water)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Wetting-induced soil deformation significantly impacts land stability and management on the Chinese Loess Plateau. This study analyzed silt soils from the Late Pleistocene (1 m depth) and Middle Pleistocene (25 m depth) to investigate compression and collapsible deformation during wetting. The compression in both soils progressed through three stages: slow deformation under low pressure, accelerated deformation under moderate pressure, and decelerated deformation under high pressure. Wetting intensified the compression in the 1 m sample but reduced it in the 25 m sample, with the deformation becoming more sensitive to the initial water content under higher pressures. Collapse tests showed contrasting behaviors: the 1 m sample exhibited collapsibility, while the 25 m sample displayed expansiveness (a negative collapsibility coefficient). Microstructural analysis revealed that the 1 m sample with abundant macropores and overhead structures had a lower structural stability than the 25 sample with more stable, rounded micropores. The wetting-induced deformation was governed by the balance between clay mineral expansion and structural collapse, with collapsibility prevailing when collapse dominated and expansiveness prevailing when expansion was predominant. These findings provide valuable insights into soil–water interactions and support improved land use and management strategies in the loess region.
Keywords: soil–water relationship; wetting-induced deformation; scanning electron microscope; land stability soil–water relationship; wetting-induced deformation; scanning electron microscope; land stability

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Liu, Q.; Xie, W.; Yang, H.; Yuan, K.; Zhang, S.; Li, X.; Qu, P.; Wu, Z.; Zhou, J.; Gao, X. Intrinsic Mechanisms of Differences in Wetting-Induced Deformation of Soils on Chinese Loess Plateau: Insights into Land Stability and Sustainable Management. Land 2025, 14, 312. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14020312

AMA Style

Liu Q, Xie W, Yang H, Yuan K, Zhang S, Li X, Qu P, Wu Z, Zhou J, Gao X. Intrinsic Mechanisms of Differences in Wetting-Induced Deformation of Soils on Chinese Loess Plateau: Insights into Land Stability and Sustainable Management. Land. 2025; 14(2):312. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14020312

Chicago/Turabian Style

Liu, Qiqi, Wanli Xie, Hui Yang, Kangze Yuan, Siyu Zhang, Xinyu Li, Pengxin Qu, Zhiyi Wu, Jiahao Zhou, and Xuanyu Gao. 2025. "Intrinsic Mechanisms of Differences in Wetting-Induced Deformation of Soils on Chinese Loess Plateau: Insights into Land Stability and Sustainable Management" Land 14, no. 2: 312. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14020312

APA Style

Liu, Q., Xie, W., Yang, H., Yuan, K., Zhang, S., Li, X., Qu, P., Wu, Z., Zhou, J., & Gao, X. (2025). Intrinsic Mechanisms of Differences in Wetting-Induced Deformation of Soils on Chinese Loess Plateau: Insights into Land Stability and Sustainable Management. Land, 14(2), 312. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14020312

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