Effect of Slope Aspect on Spatial Variability of Physical and Chemical Properties of the Soil in Kiasar Region of Mazandaran Province

Soil is a diverse, dynamic and heterogeneous system and investigation of its spatial and temporal changes is essential for systematic management of natural resources. In this study the spatial variabilities of some physical and chemical properties of the soil affected with aspect in Kiasar rangelands were investigated. Two sampling sites were selected with the same climatic level, slope, elevation and lithology but with different slope aspect. A sampling grid with 400 m2 cells was established in each site and 50 soil samples were collected from 0-30 cm soil depth. Soil properties including pH, caco3, total nitrogen, organic carbon, percent of silt, clay, sand and moisture were measured in the laboratory. Then data were normalized and applied for the statistical and geostatistical analyses. Results of the t test showed that organic carbon in northern slope did not have significant difference (p