Description and reconstruction of the soil pore space using correlation functions

In this paper a method for the description and reconstruction of the soil pore space using correlation functions has been examined. The reconstruction procedure employed here is the best way of verification of the potential descriptor of the soil pore space. Thin sections representing eight major types of pore space in zonal loamy soils and parent materials of the Russian Plain with pores of different shapes and orientations have been chosen for this study. Comparison based on the morphological analysis of the original pore space images and their correlation function reconstructions obtained using simulated annealing technique indicates that this method of reconstruction adequately describes the isometric soil pore space with isometric dissected, isometric slightly dissected, and rounded pores. The two-point correlation functions calculated with the use of the orthogonal method proved to be different for the examined types of soil pore space; they reflect the soil porosity, specific surface, and pore structure correlations at different lengths. The results of this study allow us to conclude that the description of the soil pore space with the help of correlation functions is a promising approach, but requires more development. Further directions of the development of this method for describing the soil pore space and determining the soil physical processes are outlined.