From the Soil Micromorphology Slide Collection

Micromorphological description of slide: Fabric consists of several parallel domains of plasma and also skeleton grains. This may be called masepic plasmic fabric (Brewer, 1976) or granostriated birefringence fabric (Bullock et. al., 1 985). In some cases the fabric takes on a cross-hatched appearance, due to intersection of the two sets. This unique fabric created by termite activity can easily be differentiated from known soil fabric, because the fabric also includes the alignment of skeleton grains.

Data for the horizon
Horizon sampled: The royal chamber of a Macrotermes michaelseni mound.
Depth sampled: 145-1 50 cm
Physical and chemical data available: Particle size distribution: 26% sand, 19% silt, and 55% clay; pH 7.8; organic carbon 0.70%; volume of pores larger than 12 urn is about 3.8%, very dense material. Also see reference.
Micromorphological description of horizon: See reference

Data for thin section
Preparation of sample: Air dry
Impregnating medium: Vestopal-1 50
Thickness of section: 25 µm

Soil Classification
F.A.O.: Ferric Luvisol

Elevation: 210 m
Parent material: Tertiary volcanics
Soil climatic data and/or soil water balance: Mean annual precipitation 900 mm
Vegetation: Wooded grassland

Data for 35-mm slide
Frame length: See bar scale on slide
Light mode: Cross polarized

Mermut, A. R., M. A. Arshad, and R. J. St. Arnaud. 1 984. Micropedological study of termite mounds of three species of macrotermes in Kenya. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 48: 613-620.
Source - A. R. Mermut

Slide BF24. Soil Science Society of America, 1993. A Reference Slide Collection for Soil Micromorphology. SSSA, Madison, WI.