Soils: Genesis and Geomorphology, Edition 2

Randall J. Schaetzl · Michael L. Thompson

Apr 2015 · Cambridge University Press

About this ebook

In its first edition, Soils established itself as the leading textbook in the fields of pedology and soil geomorphology. Expanded and fully updated, this second edition maintains its highly organized and readable style. Suitable as a textbook and a research-grade reference, the book's introductory chapters in soil morphology, mineralogy, chemistry, physics and organisms prepare the reader for the more advanced treatment that follows. Unlike its competitors, this textbook devotes considerable space to discussions of soil parent materials and soil mixing, along with dating and paleoenvironmental reconstruction techniques applicable to soils. Although introductions to widely used soil classification systems are included, theory and processes of soil genesis and geomorphology form the backbone of the book. Replete with more than 550 high-quality figures and photos and a detailed glossary, this book will be invaluable for anyone studying soils, landforms and landscape change anywhere on the globe.

About the author

Randall Schaetzl is a Professor of Geography and Geosciences at Michigan State University. His research has been published in all the leading soils, geomorphology, and geography journals. He is the editor of the Soils section for the International Encyclopedia of Geography (Association of American Geographers) and a Fellow of the Geological Society of America. He is an expert in the soils and landforms of the Great Lakes region, and he is editor-in-chief of Michigan Geography and Geology (2012). His expertise on podzolization and pedoturbation has led him to publish numerous papers on these widespread soil processes.

Michael Thompson is a Professor of Soil Science at Iowa State University. For more than twenty years, he taught pedology and clay mineralogy courses, and for the past ten years he has taught courses in soil chemistry. Thompson's research has dealt with paleosols, soil organic matter, and the fate of actinides, heavy metals, and organic contaminants in waste-amended soils. His research seeks to identify the chemical and physical conditions that favor stability, transformations, and movement of soil organic matter, anthropogenic contaminants, and clay minerals in soils. He is a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America, the American Society of Agronomy, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.