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Microscopic Study of Soils from Five Great Soil Groups
Author(s) -
Johnston J. R.,
Peterson J. B.
Publication year - 1942
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1942.036159950006000c0063x
Subject(s) - citation , library science , state (computer science) , service (business) , soil conservation , sociology , agriculture , computer science , archaeology , history , business , marketing , algorithm
r I ^HE development of the microscope and microJscopic technics is closely allied with the rapid growth of the biological sciences. Certain phases of chemistry and geology rely on microscopic technics for securing necessary information concerning the properties of matter. The soil biologist and mineralogist have taken advantage of the microscope and have used it in scientific investigations of the soil, the former, the ordinary biological microscope and the latter, the petrographic microscope. The microscopic approach to the study of soils, especially to the study of undis turbed soil, has been developed by Kubiena. This approach consisted essentially of the use of the microscope in the study of soil biology, soil mineralogy, and various phases of soil physics and chemistry. Kubiena stressed the importance of studying the soil in its natural habitat and in its undisturbed state. He introduced several microscopic technics that he had used in his study of soils. ,One of these technics, the thin section, was used to obtain detailed microscopic descriptions of soils from various parts of the United States. The purpose of this study was to test the value of thin section technics and microscopic descriptions as an aid in making detailed and accurate descriptions of soil profiles. The application of thin section technics to the study of soils is not new. Ross (5, 6) has suggested methods of thin section preparations for soils in some work done on sediments and unconsolidated materials of various kinds. Alien (i) employed thin sections in studies on poorly drained soils developed from various kinds of glacial till.in Illinois. Kubiena (3, 4) used thin sections of soils for supplementary information on the fabric types occurring in soil profiles throughout the world. Volk and Harper (8) and others (2, 7) have used thin section technics as a method of characterizing and studying the size and distribution of pores in soil profiles.