The soils of the Tanqwa Abergele "woreda" (district) in Tigray (Ethiopia) reflect its longstanding agricultural history, highly seasonal rainfall regime, relatively high temperatures, overall dominance of Precambrian metamorphic rocks and steep slopes.
Factors contributing to soil diversity.
Climate.
Annual rainfall depth is very variable with an average of around 600–800 mm. Most rains fall during the main rainy season, which typically extends from June to September. 
Mean temperature in woreda town Yechila is 25.4 °C, oscillating between average daily minimum of 14.6 °C and maximum of 35.6 °C. The contrasts between day and night air temperatures are much larger than seasonal contrasts.
Geology.
From the higher to the lower locations, the following geological formations are present:
Topography.
As part of the Ethiopian highlands the land has undergone a rapid tectonic uplift, leading the occurrence of mountain peaks, plateaus, valleys and gorges.
Land use.
Generally speaking the level lands and intermediate slopes are occupied by cropland, while there is rangeland and shrubs on the steeper slopes. Remnant forests occur around Orthodox Christian churches and a few inaccessible places. A recent trend is the widespread planting of eucalyptus trees.
Environmental changes.
Soil degradation in this district became important when humans started deforestation almost 5000 years ago. Depending on land use history, locations have been exposed in varying degrees to such land degradation.
Geomorphic regions and soil units.
Given the complex geology and topography of the district, it has been organised into land systems - areas with specific and unique geomorphic and geological characteristics, characterised by a particular soil distribution along the soil catena. Soil types are classified in line with World Reference Base for Soil Resources and reference made to main characteristics that can be observed in the field.
References.
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