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Re: ?

Under certain cirumstances this can occur. Let me illustrate one.

Our soil, a vertisol, when it has not rained in several months,
forms huge cracks which widen and deepen to as much as 8 inches
across and 5 feet deep. I have watched the runoff from 1/3 of our
2100 square foot home in a 2 inch event drain into one of these
cracks and never overflow. (I also think there are pockets underground,
due to the crawdads, but cant prove this, yet. )

Further, unique soil formations, called gilgai, which are giant cups
surrounded by ridges form and deepen in unplowed soil. In heavy rains
which exceed the capacity for the soil to absorb, these cups will fill up
with
water which the soil can then absorb in its leisure.

Given a drought and gilgai, I dont see why a 12 inch rain, say a
hurricane dying over North Texas, would not be completely captured
by a native prairie remnant that is fairly level.

-Austin

Brett Roberts wrote:

> >Water infiltration of native prairies at a rate of 12 inches per hour?
>
> That would depend on the soil type and antecedent moisture condition
> when the 12" of water would be poured onto the soil.  I am sceptical
> that there are any soils prairie, forest, pasture or other that could
> infiltrate 12" of water in an hour possible on deep, level, sands that
> are very dry and have no restricted subsoil layers in the soil profile.
> The last time 12" of rain fell in an hour Noah built an ark!  12" of
> rain
> is about a third of the rainfall for a whole year in most of Illinois,
> to see that much precipitation in one hour would be a remarkable event
> and I doubt the prairies that are left will infiltrate that much water
> that fast.
>
> Brett Roberts
> State Conservation Agronomist
> Natural Resources Conservation Service- USDA
>
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