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Soils, their formation, classification and distribution
Crr*hlmccu CI (‘osmochrmlco Acru Vol 45. p. 2519. 1981 Pergamon Prw Ltd Pnnted in Great Br~tam
BOOK
The Soil Resource, by HANS JENNY. Springer, $29.80.
REVIEWS
you might expect Jenny to provide a synthesis of all the soil forming factors, possibly in terms of his famous differential equation. The section that deals with this is completely inadequate, being slightly longer than one page. Mysteriously the differential equation never makes iti appearance, neither here nor elsewhere in the book. and if Jenny has had second thoughts about the equation. generally taken to be his most influential contribution to soil science, he keeps it a secret. I do not recommend the book to geochemists.
1980. 377 pp.
In 1941 Jenny published the classic Factors of’soil Formation, in which he followed Dokuchaev, in proposing a functlonal relationship between soil and various soil-forming factors. His main contribution was to claim that the factors were independent of each other, a claim that allowed him to derive a differential form of the soil-forming equation. The present book is a development of the same theme and the second half is essentially a rewriting of the original. After an introduction to ecosystems and soils, Jenny examines the physical, chemical, mineralogical and biological processes involved in soil genesis. He then devotes successive chapters to each soil-forming factor (identified as time, parent material. topography, climate and organisms). A final chapter is meant to bring everything together. The approach taken. to put it charitably, is impressionistic. To the geochemist a lack of rigour is most obvious in the chapters concerned with mineralogy and with mineralwater interactions. A few examples illustrate this. The abstract term luffice is continually used to mean structure. The word rninerul is ambiguously used in the geologist’s as well as the plant-nutritionist’s senses. Ferromagnesian is taken as a synonym of mu$c. Outdated and superceded thermodynamic data are used in spuriously precise equilibrium calculations. Meaningless statements are made about the formation of minerals e.g. ‘thermodynamically kaolinite is expected to be synthesised in an acid, leaching environment’ meaningless unless factors other than acidity (activities of H,SiO, and Mg” for instance) are taken into account. The biggest disappointment is the final chapter. Here.
The Ancient Sun, Geochrmicu et Cosmochimica Acta Supplement 13, edited by R. 0. PEPIN, J. A. EDDY and R. B. MI.RKILL. Pergamon Press, 1980, 581 pp. $56.00. 1.r MAY not be immediately obvious from the title but the book contains the Proceedings of a conference held under this title at Boulder, Colorado, October 16-19, 1979. The organizers are to be commended for their attempt to bring together “scientists from the solar physics and the lunar and planetary geoscience communities to consider the problems and possibilities of recovering the long-term history of solar behaviour from natural records”. Equally to be commended are the editors for collecting and making available the contributions of authors from “varied disciplines who are working on the same problems from different directions”. Altogether, there are some forty papers, arranged without much apparent order which. by intent. cover a wide range of topics and of time, from the pre-main sequence sun to present-day observations. and from subtle neutrinos to meteoroid impact pits. Again by intent. the papers range from pure mathematics to poor technical
Soils, their Formation, Classification and Distribution, by E. A. FITZPATRICK. Longman. 1980, 353 pp.. XX illus. f2.5.00. In effect this is a completely new edition of Prdology which Fitzpatrick published in 1971. The orlgmal was an excellent introduction to the scientdic study of solls, and this, if anything, is better. The author exammes soil in time and space, looks at the same soil-forming factors and processes as Jenny, discusses the nature of soil horizons. leads the reader along a clear path through the jungle of soil classification, and presents a valuable review of each soil class In terms of its properties. origin. distribution and use. The final chapter is an excellent synthesis of soil relatlonships in the context of soil-forming factors. No claim IS made of their being Independent of each other. m fact earlier (p. 8) such claims are described as being quite uncon\inclng. Recommended to any geochemist interested in soils.
notes. Presumably not by intent is an equally wide range in quality. There are very readable reviews describing lucidly and objectively what in a given field is “generally accepted” and what are pre-conceived notions of the respective authors. And there are contributions where pet ideas are presented for the umpteenth time. where the pecuhar selection of papers reviewed or referenced leads to the conclusion that the authors have a limited knowledge at best of the pertinent papers in their respective fields. This were not all that bad but for the declared intent of the conference and. presumably, its proceedings as well to introduce scientists from disparate disciplines to the methods and notions of others. However, since there does not seem to be available a more balanced account the present book will have to do in spite of its shortcomings which. after all. it shares with most Conference Proceedings.
Mux-Plunck-Instirut jiir Chemie Saar.swus.sr 23, 6500 MuinWest Grrmtrn~~
2519
F. BEGEMANX
BOOK
The Soil Resource, by HANS JENNY. Springer, $29.80.
REVIEWS
you might expect Jenny to provide a synthesis of all the soil forming factors, possibly in terms of his famous differential equation. The section that deals with this is completely inadequate, being slightly longer than one page. Mysteriously the differential equation never makes iti appearance, neither here nor elsewhere in the book. and if Jenny has had second thoughts about the equation. generally taken to be his most influential contribution to soil science, he keeps it a secret. I do not recommend the book to geochemists.
1980. 377 pp.
In 1941 Jenny published the classic Factors of’soil Formation, in which he followed Dokuchaev, in proposing a functlonal relationship between soil and various soil-forming factors. His main contribution was to claim that the factors were independent of each other, a claim that allowed him to derive a differential form of the soil-forming equation. The present book is a development of the same theme and the second half is essentially a rewriting of the original. After an introduction to ecosystems and soils, Jenny examines the physical, chemical, mineralogical and biological processes involved in soil genesis. He then devotes successive chapters to each soil-forming factor (identified as time, parent material. topography, climate and organisms). A final chapter is meant to bring everything together. The approach taken. to put it charitably, is impressionistic. To the geochemist a lack of rigour is most obvious in the chapters concerned with mineralogy and with mineralwater interactions. A few examples illustrate this. The abstract term luffice is continually used to mean structure. The word rninerul is ambiguously used in the geologist’s as well as the plant-nutritionist’s senses. Ferromagnesian is taken as a synonym of mu$c. Outdated and superceded thermodynamic data are used in spuriously precise equilibrium calculations. Meaningless statements are made about the formation of minerals e.g. ‘thermodynamically kaolinite is expected to be synthesised in an acid, leaching environment’ meaningless unless factors other than acidity (activities of H,SiO, and Mg” for instance) are taken into account. The biggest disappointment is the final chapter. Here.
The Ancient Sun, Geochrmicu et Cosmochimica Acta Supplement 13, edited by R. 0. PEPIN, J. A. EDDY and R. B. MI.RKILL. Pergamon Press, 1980, 581 pp. $56.00. 1.r MAY not be immediately obvious from the title but the book contains the Proceedings of a conference held under this title at Boulder, Colorado, October 16-19, 1979. The organizers are to be commended for their attempt to bring together “scientists from the solar physics and the lunar and planetary geoscience communities to consider the problems and possibilities of recovering the long-term history of solar behaviour from natural records”. Equally to be commended are the editors for collecting and making available the contributions of authors from “varied disciplines who are working on the same problems from different directions”. Altogether, there are some forty papers, arranged without much apparent order which. by intent. cover a wide range of topics and of time, from the pre-main sequence sun to present-day observations. and from subtle neutrinos to meteoroid impact pits. Again by intent. the papers range from pure mathematics to poor technical
Soils, their Formation, Classification and Distribution, by E. A. FITZPATRICK. Longman. 1980, 353 pp.. XX illus. f2.5.00. In effect this is a completely new edition of Prdology which Fitzpatrick published in 1971. The orlgmal was an excellent introduction to the scientdic study of solls, and this, if anything, is better. The author exammes soil in time and space, looks at the same soil-forming factors and processes as Jenny, discusses the nature of soil horizons. leads the reader along a clear path through the jungle of soil classification, and presents a valuable review of each soil class In terms of its properties. origin. distribution and use. The final chapter is an excellent synthesis of soil relatlonships in the context of soil-forming factors. No claim IS made of their being Independent of each other. m fact earlier (p. 8) such claims are described as being quite uncon\inclng. Recommended to any geochemist interested in soils.
notes. Presumably not by intent is an equally wide range in quality. There are very readable reviews describing lucidly and objectively what in a given field is “generally accepted” and what are pre-conceived notions of the respective authors. And there are contributions where pet ideas are presented for the umpteenth time. where the pecuhar selection of papers reviewed or referenced leads to the conclusion that the authors have a limited knowledge at best of the pertinent papers in their respective fields. This were not all that bad but for the declared intent of the conference and. presumably, its proceedings as well to introduce scientists from disparate disciplines to the methods and notions of others. However, since there does not seem to be available a more balanced account the present book will have to do in spite of its shortcomings which. after all. it shares with most Conference Proceedings.
Mux-Plunck-Instirut jiir Chemie Saar.swus.sr 23, 6500 MuinWest Grrmtrn~~
2519
F. BEGEMANX