SOIL PHASES
Some types of soil spatial distribution models, which may be the result of human impacts, can be expressed in the form of a soil phase. They can provide information about the results of past soil management, but not about the behavioural dynamics of the soil.
Any taxonomical soil category can be divided into two phases in order to provide more specific information about the behaviour of the soils mapped in a specific area. This serves a utilitarian purpose.
In many cases the use of phases is useful for:
– identifying characteristics of the surface horizon (epipedon): erosion, deposition,
stoniness, texture, salinity, sodicity;
– the slope, physiographic position, apparent depth of a certain rock or
substrate, soil water, or climate.
These phrases can used as characterisers as long as they have not previously been used to classify the soil in question at a higher taxonomical level.
A phase can therefore be taken as a modifier of a certain kinds of soil, especially in the case of soil series. This allows flexibility in the definition of map units.
|
