Now in it's third edition of World Soils provides a concise account of the soils of the world. It has been completely revised to include developments in the last decade in pedology and soil science. The introduction provides a definition of soils and outlines the author's approach. Successive chapters examine the composition, factors and processes behind the formation of soils. The topic of soil classification is dealt with in a user-friendly manner and includes an historical overview leading to the current FAO-Unesco Soil Map of the World system. The 28 major soil groups are described and their formation discussed. Chapters on soil mapping and soil use are also included. World Soils is written for a wide readership including students of environmental science, geography, ecology, forestry and agriculture, as well as the many other disciplines of study which include some consideration of soil as a natural resource. It will be useful to sixth-form students as well as first and second year undergraduates.

 

There are 176 pages in this book. This book was published 1997 by Cambridge University Press .

This book has the following chapters: 1; Introduction; 2; Composition of soils; 3; Factors of soil formation; 4; Processes of soil formation; 5; Soil classification; 6; Soils conditioned by their parent materials; 7; Soils conditioned by topographic position or limited by their age; 8; Soils strongly influenced by human activity; 9; Soils of the mid-latitudes: oceanic areas; 10; Soils of the mid-latitudes: continental areas; 11; Soil development in arid regions; 12; Soils of the inter-tropical areas; 13; Soil mapping; 14 Using soil information