Soils: An Introduction - Tapa dura

This work involves students with a building a pedon concept that introduces them to soil parts. It includes discussions of environmental issues, and emphasizes scale to show students the range involved, from organisms as small as viruses to the expanse of the landscape.

Fresh in its approach, the book develops a unique "pedon" concept in the first chapter, building upon it progressively throughout. Starting as an empty 3-D rectangle, readers follow chapter-by-chapter "additions" of inorganic and organic matter, water, and pores, etc., until the box takes on the characteristics of a "real" soil. This helps readers both understand how the parts fit together to make up the entire soil as well as analyze relationships from the very simple to the more complex. It makes careful use of scale in all figures, and features optional chapter supplements for catch-up and review. Highlights of the new edition include 20 new figures and more focused discussions of environmental issues.