SoilMicroscopy

 

Soil Micromorphography

 

Interactive multimedia programme for self-studying soil thin section description

 

J. Aguilar*, C. Dorronsoro-Fdez*, J. Fernández*, C. Dorronsoro Diaz**, F. Martin* and B. Dorronsoro***.

* Dpto. Edafologia y Quimica Agricola, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18002 Granada, Spain.
** Instituto de Optica "Daza Valdes", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
*** Dpto. Lenguas y Ciencias de la Computacion, E.T.S.I. Informatica, Universidad de Malaga, 29071 Malaga, Spain.

 

This programme is based on the Handbook for Soil Thin Section Description by P. Bullock, N. Fedoroff, A. Jongerius, G. Stoops and T. Tursina. 1985, published by Waine Research. Wolverhampton (UK).

The keys that Stoops has developed to make it easier to interpret the terms defined in the "Handbook" will also be used (Key to the ISSS "Handbook for Soil Thin Section Description" Stoops, G. Laboratorium voor Mineralogie, Petrologie en Micropedologie, Geologisch Instituut, Universiteit Gent, Krijgslaan 281, S8, B-9000 Gent, Belgium).

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

1. Introduction

Soil microscopy

Thin sections preparation

From 3D to 2D

 

2. Basic components

2.1 Minerals components

Coarse mineral components

Rocks fragments

Inorganic residues of biological origin

Artefacts

Fine mineral conponents

 

2.2 Organic componets

 2.2.1 Coarse fragments

Organ residues

Tissue residues

 2.2.2. Organic fine materials

Cells and cell residues

Amorpous organic fine material

Puntuations

Organic pigment

 

3. Groudmass

Voids

Aggregation

Microstructure

c/f related distributions

Birrefrigent fabric (B-fabric) of the fine material (micromass)

 

4. Pedofeatures

4.1. Types of pedofeatures (according to their nature)

Texturals

Depletions

Crystallines

Amorphous and cryptocrystalline

Fabric

Excrements

Compounds

 

4.2. Morphological classification

4.2.1. Pedofeatures related to voids, grains and aggregates

Coatings

Hypo-coatings

Quasi-coatings

Infillings

 4.2.2. Pedofeatures unrelated to voids, grains and aggregates

Crystals and crystal intergrowths

Nodules

Intercalations

 4.2.3. Reworked pedofeatures

Fragmented and deformed pedofeatures

 

5. Test

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