Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Concepts of soils
- 2 Pedogenic processes and pathways of horizon differentiation
- 3 Soil phases: the inorganic solid phase
- 4 Soil phases: the organic solid phase
- 5 Soil phases: the liquid phase
- 6 Soil phases: the gaseous phase
- 7 Soil phases: the living phase
- 8 The State Factor theory of soil formation
- 9 Factors of soil formation: parent material. As exemplified by a comparison of granitic and basaltic soils
- 10 Factors of soil formation: climate. As exemplified by volcanic ash soils
- 11 Factors of soil formation: topography
- 12 Factors of soil formation: biota. As exemplified by case studies on the direct imprint of trees on trace metal concentrations in soils
- 13 Factors of soil formation: time
- 14 Soil formation on Earth and beyond: the role of additional soil-forming factors
- 15 Soil functions and land use
- 16 Physical degradation of soils
- 17 Chemical degradation of soils
- 18 The future of soil research
- Appendix: Naming soils and soil horizons
- References
- Index
9 - Factors of soil formation: parent material. As exemplified by a comparison of granitic and basaltic soils
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 November 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Concepts of soils
- 2 Pedogenic processes and pathways of horizon differentiation
- 3 Soil phases: the inorganic solid phase
- 4 Soil phases: the organic solid phase
- 5 Soil phases: the liquid phase
- 6 Soil phases: the gaseous phase
- 7 Soil phases: the living phase
- 8 The State Factor theory of soil formation
- 9 Factors of soil formation: parent material. As exemplified by a comparison of granitic and basaltic soils
- 10 Factors of soil formation: climate. As exemplified by volcanic ash soils
- 11 Factors of soil formation: topography
- 12 Factors of soil formation: biota. As exemplified by case studies on the direct imprint of trees on trace metal concentrations in soils
- 13 Factors of soil formation: time
- 14 Soil formation on Earth and beyond: the role of additional soil-forming factors
- 15 Soil functions and land use
- 16 Physical degradation of soils
- 17 Chemical degradation of soils
- 18 The future of soil research
- Appendix: Naming soils and soil horizons
- References
- Index
Summary
The clearest example of the intimate relationship between the nature of the soil parent material and the properties that the soil eventually acquires through the mediation of soil processes is to be found in soils derived from recent volcanic material. This relationship has been especially well illustrated by a comprehensive review of the topic by Dahlgren et al. (2004). This review highlights the fact that volcanic soils possess distinctive physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics that are usually not found in soils developed upon other parent materials. Many of these characteristics depend on the ease with which volcanic material is weathered to form poorly crystalline clay minerals, such as allophane, imogolite, ferrihydrite, etc. Other examples illustrating the influence of parent material on soil properties could also be cited. Thus, soils derived from carbonate rock may have such distinctive chemical properties that they are described as specific soil types (Rendzinas) in some soil classifications. Again, soils derived from smectitic-rich parent materials may be classed as Vertisols. In addition, it is widely recognized that parent material may be responsible for the origin of some unusual chemical soil properties, such as the high exchangeable Mg/exchangeable Ca ratio or heavy metal content of serpentinite-derived soils, or for the development of particular soil horizons which are used as diagnostic indices in soil taxonomies.
Notwithstanding these examples, however, parent material per se cannot be said to be a major criterion for soil classification.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Soils: Basic Concepts and Future Challenges , pp. 113 - 130Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006
- 2
- Cited by