Geog 317
Geography of Soils
Spring '06 MWF: 9:10-10 am
We'll look at soils in four ways:
- What are Soils? Well look at what soils are made of their
"architecture" of particles and structures, their mineral composition, and
their properties that respond to environmental variables of temperature and precipitation.
Well consider the significance of soil properties for soil use, and the impacts
of human activities on these properties.
- How do they form? Well look at pedogenic processes
erosion, deposition, organic matter decomposition, etc. through
which soils develop over time, and well look at the five major soil-forming
factors: parent material, climate, organisms,
relief, and time. Throughout each
we will consider how human activities influence these factors.

- Where do we find them (and how are they used)? Well use the language
of the Soil Taxonomy to categorize soils based on their properties, try to
understand why specific soils occur where they do, and identify the typical (agricultural, botanical
and other) uses for different soil types.
- Soil Resource Analysis. Well look at methods of evaluating soil
resources, especially focusing on geographic analysis techniques for modeling soil loss
based on soil properties and land-use practices.