Some factors affecting regional differentiation of the soils in the Republic of Benin (West Africa)

Spatial distribution of the parent materials, color, clay-eluviated horizon thickness, textural profile type, presence and position of the ferruginous nodules and ferricretes in the profile are analyzed at a small scale using the thematic information content of the published 1:200,000 soil map of Benin. Analyses indicate that there is a regional differentiation of the soil cover which is first drawn on that of the geological provinces, sedimentary basins, great morpho-structural units, and then determined by the factors that control the preservation or the transformation and erosion of an ancient lateritic mantle. These factors are directly influenced by differential changes of the local base levels. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.