Levy, G., ARO, Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.
Shainberg, I., ARO, Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.
Morin, J., ARO, Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.

The stability of the crust was found to depend on the mechanisms of its formation. The crusts of soils with low exchangeable sodium percentages (ESP) exposed to distilled water (DW) and saline water (SW) rain and the crust of a soil with high ESP exposed to SW rain were found to be unstable and to be affected strongly by 1) the salinity of the rainwater in subsequent storms, 2) the impact energy of the raindrops, and 3) the length of the drying period between consecutive storms. Conversely, a crust in which chemical dispersion supplemented physical dispersion (a soil with high ESP exposed to DW rain) was found to be stable and to be less affected by the water salinity of the subsequent storm, by its impact energy, or by the extent of drying between storms. -after Authors