Soil Geography Introductory

Junun Sartohadi
Dr. Soil Geomorphology Leopold Franzens Universitaet, Innsbruck Austria, 2001
M.Sc. Remote Sensing and Geoinformation for Resources Management
AIT,Bangkok, 1997
Drs. Geomorphology and Land Resources, Gadjah Mada University, 1991

Basic Soil Geography Includes:

Understand soil variability over the
earth surface
Study of physical, chemical, biological &
morphological properties,
Relate soil characteristics to various
land uses

Definition of Soils
Soil is friable natural body that covers the
earth surface and it can be a medium for
rooting systems of the living plants under
the natural environment

SOIL Definition 1
SOILI- The
unconsolidated
minerals and/or
organic materials on
the immediate
surface of the earth
that serves as a
natural medium for
the growth of land
plants.

SOIL Definition 2

The unconsolidated
mineral and/or organic
matter on the surface
of the earth that has
been subjected to and
shows effects of
genetic and
environmental factors

Soil is .
Detritus from rock
or - sand, silt and
clay particles along
with decomposed
plant remains and
live organisms.
Or
The Loose surface
of the earth that
can support plants.

Soil Formation Factors

1) Climate (including water and
temperature effect)
2) Macro- and microorganisms,
conditioned by
3) Relief, acting on
4) Parent Material over a
period of
5) Time.
All those soil formation factors
are in the complex interactions
to perform the current soil
over the earth surface

Soil A Product
Soil differs from
the material from
which it is derived
(Parent Material) in
many :

a) physical,
b) chemical,
c) biological, and
d) morphological
properties and
characteristics.

Soil the essence of life

Darkle, darkle, little
grain, I wonder how you
entertain a thousand
creatures microscopic.
Grains like you from
pole to tropic support
land life upon this
planet. I marvel at you,
crumb of granite! (F.W.
Hole, 1989)

Soils are Dynamic

the % air, % water, %
organic matter will
change with time and
space that changes will
introduce the changes in
the minerals of soil.
The Soil Ecosystem = all
parts of the soil,
including biotic and
abiotic.
Soils are important to
life as we know it on this
planet!

USDA-NRCS

USDA-NRCS

USDA-NRCS

USDA-NRCS

USDA-NRCS

Soils and Plant Growth

Physical support of plants
Provides water and air
Provides essential elements
Macro-nutrients = N,P,K,Ca,Mg,S
Micro-nutrients = B,Fe,Mn,Cu,Zn,Mo,Co,Cl

USDA-NRCS

 Soils determine the suitability of land for

various uses; such as, housing developments,
parks, golf courses, trails, ..

Wet Soils - difficult to use for many land

uses due to high water table.

Soil as a Resource
WHAT DOES SOIL
DO?
Healthy soil gives us
clean air and water,
bountiful crops and
forests, productive
rangeland, diverse
wildlife, and
beautiful landscapes.
Soil does all this by
performing five
essential functions:

1) Regulating water.
Soil helps control where rain,
snowmelt, and irrigation water goes.
Water and dissolved solutes flow over
the land or into and through the soil.

Source: www.naturegrid.org.uk/rivers/watercyclepages/riverbasin-stages.html

Spring Snowmelt

3) Filtering potential pollutants.

The minerals and microbes

in soil are responsible for :
filtering, buffering,
degrading,immobilizing,and
detoxifying organic and
inorganic materials,
including industrial and
municipal by-products and
atmospheric deposits.

4) Cycling Nutrients.
Carbon, nitrogen,
phosphorus, and many
other nutrients are
stored, transformed,
and cycled through soil.
This is a good thing for
it keeps them out of our
water systems.

5) Supporting
Structures
Buildings and roads need stable soil for
support.
The bearing capacity determines the
ease of stable construction.
This road and associated bridge were
built across a mangrove swamp. The
bridge, supported by pylons, has not
subsided. However, the road has
slumped because of the low loadbearing capacity of the underlying
soil material.

Digging for clues of

our past.
Archeological
treasures associated
with human habitation
are protected in soils.
The kind of the soil
determines the ease
of excavation and
maybe the quality of
the object found.

Soil A Sustainable Natural Resource

Having a sustainable soil system is everyone's responsibility!

Healthy soil gives us clean air and water, bountiful crops and
forests, productive rangeland, diverse wildlife, beautiful landscapes
and beautiful soils.

Literature
Birkeland, P.W., 1999. Soils and Geomorphology. Third
Edition,Oxford University Press.New York-Oxford
Buol,S.W., R.J. Mc Cracken and F.D. Hole,1993. Soil
Genesis and Classification. Lowa State University Press
Hardjowigeno, 1987. Ilmu Tanah. Melton Putra, Jakarta.
Soil Survey Staff, 1993. Soil Survey Manual. USDA
Handbook Nr. 18. U.S. Gov. Printing Office Washington,
DC.
Wiliding, L.P., N.E. Smeck and G.F. Hall, 1983. Pedogenesis
and Soil Taxonomy, Concepts and Interactions.
Elsevier, Amsterdam
Brady, N.C., 1995. The nature and Properties of Soils.
Mc Graw Book Company
Isa Darma Wijaya. 1990. Klasifikasi Tanah. Gadjah mada
Press. Yogyakarta.