Morphological and structural characteristics of preferential flow and its influencing factors on colluvial deposits of Benggang

Abstract Preferential flow plays a vital role in infiltration processes in structured soil. However, knowledge of preferential flow in colluvial deposits of Benggang remains limited. In this study, three typical colluvial deposits with different formation times were selected. The formation times of colluvial deposits A, B and C increased in sequence. Water infiltration in colluvial soil was visualized through Brilliant Blue dye experiments (a total of 90 photos from the dyed soil profiles). The dye morphological characteristics of preferential flow were analysed, and the influencing factors were explored. The dye morphological parameters confirmed the occurrence of preferential flow in the colluvial deposits. The dye coverage of colluvial deposit A was the greatest (61.12%), followed by colluvial deposits B (50.41%) and C (46.81%). The matrix flow depth, preferential flow fraction and length index of colluvial deposits A and B were greater than those of colluvial deposit C. Preferential flow was more notable in colluvial deposits A and B than in colluvial deposit C. The migration process of dyed water varied spatially. There were more preferential flow paths at a 10 cm horizontal width. In addition to the bulk density and saturated hydraulic conductivity, the soil particle composition, especially the gravel content ( r = 0.740), was closely related to the observed dye coverage. According to the principal component analysis results, the soil particle composition imposed the greatest influence on the formation of preferential flow in the colluvial deposits, with a contribution of 45.24%. The results provide a theoretical reference for explaining the mechanism of soil infiltration processes and a systematic basis for the treatment of colluvial deposits.