There is a close relation between the pattern of vegetation and the spatial heterogeneity of soil properties. This paper mainly studies the spatial heterogeneity of soil properties in the processes of shifting sand fixation without irrigation in the area of the precipitation below 200mm. The results show that with the succession from artificial plants to natural vegetation

environment of soil formation and circulation of soil material were influenced; the physical and chemical properties of soil have been changed. (1)The content of the fine-particle

electric conductivity

pH value

content of total nitrogen and organicmatter in fixation region have increased compared with the shifting sand region

moreover

the difference is evident (p<0.05). The crust and 0~5 cm layers of soil properties have great changes. The soil properties of 5~30 cm layer have been altered but the changes is little because of the effect of the crust and 0~5cm layers. The development of the crust and 0~5 cm layers results in the vertical variation of the soil propertities.(2)The shifting sand with relatively uniform soil texture has not changed in soil properties with the increasing soil depth.(3)There are no distinctions between fixing sand of the different age (p>0.05)

but the development of 0~5 cm layer is closely connected with the crust layer (p