Application of a cellular automata model to the study of soil particle size distributions

In this contribution, particle size distributions (PSD) of soil samples are analyzed by fractal methods. Different scaling domains, characterizing different ranges of particle sizes, are identified. Numerical models based on cellular automata are presented with the aim to understand the basic mechanisms responsible for the occurrence of multiple scaling domains in soil PSD. Numerical simulations are in good agreement with natural data and furnish a conceptual framework to explain the features observed in the PSD of studied soil samples.