Changes in the Criteria Used in Soil Classification Since Marbut

Abstract

AbstractThe changes in the criteria used in soil classification since Marbut's time are presented. These changes are of three kinds: additions to the list of properties used, refinements of the properties formerly used, and deletions from the list of properties formerly used. The additional properties now being used are mostly properties of the whole soil body. Most important among these are the properties which are independent variables of the soil system. The introduction of these independently variable properties of the soil body, for use in soil classification, presents the poignant possibility of fusing the genetic and descriptive systems of soil classification without abandoning the premise that soils should be classified on the basis of their properties. The affect of the above changes in soil classification on the definition of the soil individual — the soil type — and its nomenclature are discussed.