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Pedology, weathering and geomorphological research
Chemical Geology, 15 (1975) 159--162 © Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands Book Renews
Pedology, Weathering and Geomorphological Research. P.W. Birkeland. Oxford University Press, London, 1974, 285 pp., £6.25. This b o o k is meant to serve the needs of geomorphologists and sedimentary petrologists working in Quaternary research b u t lacking adequate training in soils. It could also serve as useful background reading for other workers in this general area such as chemists interested in weathering, agriculturists interested in soil formation, or geologists wanting to learn something of surficial geology. The expected background is one year of college chemistry and one year of physical geology. Birkeland studied under Hans J e n n y whose Factors o f Soil Formation is a pedological classic, now somewhat o u t of date. Birkeland's b o o k does not reach the same level b u t covers much of the same ground in an up-to-date manner. The author has relied heavily on his own experiences for examples in many parts of the book. This helps to give a first-hand authority to some of the material, and a definite individual style to the book; the disadvantage is that the b o o k is mainly concerned with the United States of America, and much useful information and many valuable ideas from the rest of the world are lacking. Occasionally the bias may be positively misleading. For instance Birkeland does not distinguish between a soil profile and a weathering profile, because he says, it is difficult to separate these t w o profiles on the basis of the processes involved. " F o r t u n a t e l y , most soils are n o t thick enough for this to be a major problem." Those working on tropical softs might have different ideas. The outline of the b o o k is straightforward. Chapter 1 explains soil terminology (using U.S. nomenclature) and describes the characteristics of soil material. A major problem confronting any writer on softs is what classification to use as the basis for his work. Birkeland uses the 7th Approximation, which has the advantage of being official in the United States and well u n d e r s t o o d by soil scientists everywhere. But for chemists, geologists and others -- especially outside the U.S. -- it presents a new, large and often ugly terminology which has to be mastered to make much of the b o o k intelligible. Geologists and chemists m a y suspect that soil names like Cryaqueptic Haplaquoll, Aquic Ustochrept, or Natraqualfic Mazaquert are the elaborate jargon typical of a pseudo-science, and it is n o t surprising that they are unwilling to learn it. Birkeland states the case for using the system, and he must be congratulated on presenting it in a b o u t as simple and intelligible way as could be achieved. Anyone prepared to learn the system will be grateful for Chapter 2.
160 Chapter 3 deals with weathering processes, and includes some of the computations of chemical composition used as weathering indices. Chapter 4 on the products of weathering, is largely devoted to clay mineralogy. Chapter 5 is concerned with processes responsible for the development of soil profiles -- the formation of the A horizon, translocation of iron, aluminum, clay, and the formation of horizons rich in carbonates or oxides. The theme of factors of soil formation is outlined in Chapter 6, and developed in more detail in later chapters. Chapter 7 deals with the influence of parent material on weathering, soil formation, clay-mineral formation and soil texture. Soil formation while parent material is still accumulating -- as in loess areas or on alluvial fans -- is also discussed. Chapter 8 is concerned with the time factor, rates of rock and mineral weathering, clay formation and alteration, and changes in soil morphology with time. The relationship between topography and soil is treated in Chapter 9. This is limited to slope--soil relationships in a few particular instances, and does n o t deal with catenas in general, or with the relationship between softs and particular landforms. Vegetation--soil relationships are described in Chapter 10 which covers such topics as soil variation at the forest--prairie boundary, soil variation with distance from trees, softs and plant species, biogenic opal, and how soil properties can be used to decipher past vegetational change. Chapter 11 is concerned with climate--soil relationships, is supported by maps of climatic conditions in the United States in Appendix 2, and includes a discussion of reconstruction of past climates from pedological data. The application of soil studies in Quaternary research is outlined in Chapter 12. The principles involved in the use of softs in stratigraphy are dealt with perhaps too briefly, but clearly. The concept of the soil-forming interval is explained, and Birkeland states that the geologic and pedologic evidence for soft-forming intervals in some environments is well established and if this discovery stands the test of time the softs can be used as prime correlation tools. Soil stratigraphy is illustrated by American examples, largely from glaciated areas: it seems a pity that the topic was not given greater breadth and relevance by inclusion of some of the valuable work on soil stratigraphy carried out in other parts of the world. This is a useful book concerned with studies at the interface of several disciplines: it provides a good introduction to problems and techniques, but is limited because of its geographical bias. C.D. OLLIER (Canberra, A.C.T., Australia)
Pedology, Weathering and Geomorphological Research. P.W. Birkeland. Oxford University Press, London, 1974, 285 pp., £6.25. This b o o k is meant to serve the needs of geomorphologists and sedimentary petrologists working in Quaternary research b u t lacking adequate training in soils. It could also serve as useful background reading for other workers in this general area such as chemists interested in weathering, agriculturists interested in soil formation, or geologists wanting to learn something of surficial geology. The expected background is one year of college chemistry and one year of physical geology. Birkeland studied under Hans J e n n y whose Factors o f Soil Formation is a pedological classic, now somewhat o u t of date. Birkeland's b o o k does not reach the same level b u t covers much of the same ground in an up-to-date manner. The author has relied heavily on his own experiences for examples in many parts of the book. This helps to give a first-hand authority to some of the material, and a definite individual style to the book; the disadvantage is that the b o o k is mainly concerned with the United States of America, and much useful information and many valuable ideas from the rest of the world are lacking. Occasionally the bias may be positively misleading. For instance Birkeland does not distinguish between a soil profile and a weathering profile, because he says, it is difficult to separate these t w o profiles on the basis of the processes involved. " F o r t u n a t e l y , most soils are n o t thick enough for this to be a major problem." Those working on tropical softs might have different ideas. The outline of the b o o k is straightforward. Chapter 1 explains soil terminology (using U.S. nomenclature) and describes the characteristics of soil material. A major problem confronting any writer on softs is what classification to use as the basis for his work. Birkeland uses the 7th Approximation, which has the advantage of being official in the United States and well u n d e r s t o o d by soil scientists everywhere. But for chemists, geologists and others -- especially outside the U.S. -- it presents a new, large and often ugly terminology which has to be mastered to make much of the b o o k intelligible. Geologists and chemists m a y suspect that soil names like Cryaqueptic Haplaquoll, Aquic Ustochrept, or Natraqualfic Mazaquert are the elaborate jargon typical of a pseudo-science, and it is n o t surprising that they are unwilling to learn it. Birkeland states the case for using the system, and he must be congratulated on presenting it in a b o u t as simple and intelligible way as could be achieved. Anyone prepared to learn the system will be grateful for Chapter 2.
160 Chapter 3 deals with weathering processes, and includes some of the computations of chemical composition used as weathering indices. Chapter 4 on the products of weathering, is largely devoted to clay mineralogy. Chapter 5 is concerned with processes responsible for the development of soil profiles -- the formation of the A horizon, translocation of iron, aluminum, clay, and the formation of horizons rich in carbonates or oxides. The theme of factors of soil formation is outlined in Chapter 6, and developed in more detail in later chapters. Chapter 7 deals with the influence of parent material on weathering, soil formation, clay-mineral formation and soil texture. Soil formation while parent material is still accumulating -- as in loess areas or on alluvial fans -- is also discussed. Chapter 8 is concerned with the time factor, rates of rock and mineral weathering, clay formation and alteration, and changes in soil morphology with time. The relationship between topography and soil is treated in Chapter 9. This is limited to slope--soil relationships in a few particular instances, and does n o t deal with catenas in general, or with the relationship between softs and particular landforms. Vegetation--soil relationships are described in Chapter 10 which covers such topics as soil variation at the forest--prairie boundary, soil variation with distance from trees, softs and plant species, biogenic opal, and how soil properties can be used to decipher past vegetational change. Chapter 11 is concerned with climate--soil relationships, is supported by maps of climatic conditions in the United States in Appendix 2, and includes a discussion of reconstruction of past climates from pedological data. The application of soil studies in Quaternary research is outlined in Chapter 12. The principles involved in the use of softs in stratigraphy are dealt with perhaps too briefly, but clearly. The concept of the soil-forming interval is explained, and Birkeland states that the geologic and pedologic evidence for soft-forming intervals in some environments is well established and if this discovery stands the test of time the softs can be used as prime correlation tools. Soil stratigraphy is illustrated by American examples, largely from glaciated areas: it seems a pity that the topic was not given greater breadth and relevance by inclusion of some of the valuable work on soil stratigraphy carried out in other parts of the world. This is a useful book concerned with studies at the interface of several disciplines: it provides a good introduction to problems and techniques, but is limited because of its geographical bias. C.D. OLLIER (Canberra, A.C.T., Australia)