Soils and Geomorphology

Third Edition

Peter Birkeland

First published in 1974, this text has been popular amond soil scientists, geomorphologists, geologists, geographers, and archaeologists. This third edition will retain the popular format, "factors of soil formation," whjile offering a greater number of topics and examples -- particularly in the chapters, "Weathering and Soil Development with Time" and "Topography -- Soil Relations with Time in Different Climatic Settings." It places greater emphasis on the role of dust in pedogenesis, and includes new data on tropical soil development, global soil-loss relations, neotectonics, and reduction processes. The text discusses field applications such as the use of soils in recognizing climate change, estimating the age of geological depositws, and dealing with environmental problems such as acid rain. "How-to" appendices have been added, and the section on paleosls has been expanded.

Soils and Geomorphology

Third Edition

Peter Birkeland

Description

Soils and Geomorphology, now in its third edition, remains popular among soil scientists, geomorphologists, geologists, geographers, and archaeologists. While retaining the useful "factors of soil formation format," it has been extensively revised, incorporating a considerable amount of new research and offering a greater number of topics and examples -- particularly in the chapters "Weathering and Soil Development with Time" and "Topography: Soil Relations with Time in Different Climatic Settings." Greater emphasis is placed on the role of dust in pedogenesis, and new data are included on tropical soil development, global soil-loess relations, neotectonics, and reduction processes. The text discusses field applications such as the use of soils in recognizing climate change, estimating the age of geological deposits, and dealing with environmental problems such as acid rain. New "how-to" appendices on soil descriptions and calculating the profile development index are also included. Soils and Geomorphology is an ideal text for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in courses on pedology, soil science, Quaternary geology, archeology, and sedimentary petrology.

Previous publication dates

May 1974

Soils and Geomorphology

Third Edition

Peter Birkeland

Introduction
1. Definition of Soil
2. Soil Classification
3. Weathering Processes
4. The Products of Weathering
5. Processes Responsible for the Development of Soil Profiles
6. Factors of Soil Formation
7. Influence of Parent Material on Weathering and Soil Formation
8. Weathering and Soil Development with Time
9. Topography-Soil Relations with Time in Different Climatic Settings
10. Summary of Climate-Soil Relations, and Paleoclimatic Interpretations
11. Application of Soils to Geomorphological, Sedimentological, and Environmental Studies
Appendix 1. Describing Soil Properties, Horizon Nomenclature, Digging and Photographying Soils, Soil Properties
Appendix 2. Calculation of Profile-Development Index, Plotting and Comparing Soil-Index Data
Bibliography
Index