Gamma-ray computed tomography as a tool to evaluate porosity changes along depth for surface crusted soils

Assessment of changes in porosity (ö) along depth for soils with surface crusting is difficult because conventional soil physical investigation tools are destructive and usually require a long period of time for preparation and analysis of the samples. Computed tomography (CT) has frequently been used as a method to evaluate soil structure in a nondestructive, sensitive, and rapid manner. CT data can be used for measuring at a millimetric scale changes in ö along depth for soils with surface crusting. The main objective of this work was to investigate the sensibility of the gamma-ray CT to assess soil structural changes along depth in samples presenting structural crust. CT images were taken with a first generation scanner of 1.14 mm resolution along eight different soil layers within the 0 28 mm depth. Porosity increased along depth up to the 14 17.5 mm layer. Through the analysis of the ö distribution of each layer it was possible to show that the sealed surface layer presented ö values of approximately 30%, while the other layers were greater than 30% up to 60% (macropore regions). The sealing crust thickness was estimated to be in the range of 2.3 3.5 mm.