On the Peculiar Hydrological Behavior of Sediments Trapped behind the Terraces of Petra, Jordan

The archaeological terraces of Petra (southern Jordan) have long been recognized for their role in agriculture and flood mitigation. Despite the dominance of fine-grained sediments behind many terrace walls, these systems exhibit high infiltration capacity and remarkable resistance to erosion. This study investigates the hydrological behavior of terrace-trapped sediments through detailed soil texture, aggregate stability, salinity, and chemical analyses across eight representative sites in and around Petra. Grain-size distributions derived from dry and wet sieving, supplemented by laser diffraction, reveal that dry sieving substantially overestimates sand content due to aggregation of fine particles into unstable peds. Wet analyses demonstrate that many terrace soils are clay- or sandy-clay-dominated yet remain highly permeable. Chem-ical indicators (nitrate, phosphate, potassium, pH, and salinity) further suggest that terracing enhances downward water movement and salt leaching irrespective of clay content. These findings indicate that terrace architecture and sediment structure exert a stronger control on hydrological functioning than texture alone. The results have direct implications for under-standing ancient land management in Petra and for informing sustainable terracing practices in modern arid and semi-arid landscapes.