A special loess gully type

soft-rock loess gully

is distributed in the border area of Shanxi

Shaanxi

and Inner Mongolia

in which water loss and soil erosion are serious.In the study

soil moisture characteristics in the soft-rock loess gully were measured and analyzed.The main results are as follows:(1) In midsummer(July)

the averaged soil moisture content of the various parts of the gully was obviously different.The order of landform units from high to low

in terms of soil moisture content

was the bottom of gully(14.44%)

the top of sunny slope(9.29%)

the top of shady slope(9.01%)

the middle of shady slope(8.25%)

and the middle of sunny slope(6.36%).While in late autumn(October)

the order was the bottom of gully(9.96%)

the top of shady slope(9.81%)

the middle of sunny slope(9.48%)

the middle of shady slope(9.09%)

and the top of sunny slope(8.06%).(2) The averaged soil moisture content of soft-rock appeared no obvious seasonal change

but an obvious seasonal change in the averaged soil moisture content was found in loess materials.(3) Water content of mudstone was significantly higher than sandstone along the profile of soft-rock.Moreover

water storage capacity of soft-rock on gentle slope was greater than steep slope.(4) An obvious phenomenon of dried soil layer appeared in the loess profiles.Under low precipitation in summer and autumn

soil moisture seriously was decreased

which was a negative compensation.So

the thickness of dried soil layers was increased.Therefore

dried soil layer is a natural phenomenon in the soft-rock loess gully area of semiarid region and its growth and declination follow the changes of rainfall.