Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Soils of the Past

An introduction to paleopedology

  • Book
  • © 1990

Overview

Authors:
  1. Gregory J. Retallack

    1. University of Oregon, Eugene, USA

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (21 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages iii-xvii
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Soils and Paleosols

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
      Download chapter PDF

    2. Paleopedology

      • Gregory J. Retallack
      Pages 3-8

    3. Soils on and under the landscape

      • Gregory J. Retallack
      Pages 9-19

    4. Features of fossil soils

      • Gregory J. Retallack
      Pages 20-54

    5. Soil-forming processes

      • Gregory J. Retallack
      Pages 55-90

    6. Soil classification

      • Gregory J. Retallack
      Pages 91-113

    7. Mapping and naming paleosols

      • Gregory J. Retallack
      Pages 114-128

    8. Alteration of paleosols after burial

      • Gregory J. Retallack
      Pages 129-145

  3. Factors in Soil Formation

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 147-147
      Download chapter PDF

    2. Models of soil formation

      • Gregory J. Retallack
      Pages 149-152

    3. Climate

      • Gregory J. Retallack
      Pages 153-175

    4. Organisms

      • Gregory J. Retallack
      Pages 176-222

    5. Topographic relief as a factor

      • Gregory J. Retallack
      Pages 223-239

    6. Parent material as a factor

      • Gregory J. Retallack
      Pages 240-260

    7. Time as a factor

      • Gregory J. Retallack
      Pages 261-288

  4. Fossil Record of Soils

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 289-289
      Download chapter PDF

    2. A long-term natural experiment in pedogenesis

      • Gregory J. Retallack
      Pages 291-294

    3. Soils of other worlds

      • Gregory J. Retallack
      Pages 295-325

    4. Earth’s earliest landscapes

      • Gregory J. Retallack
      Pages 326-350
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

Landscapes viewed from afar have a timeless quality that is soothing to the human spirit. Yet a tranquil wilderness scene is but a snapshot in the steady stream of surficial change. Wind, water and human activities reshape the landscape by means of gradual to catastrophic and usually irreversible events. Much of this change destroys past landscapes, but at some times and places, landscapes are buried in the rock record. This work is dedicated to the discovery of past landscapes and their life through the fossil record of soils. A long history of surficial changes extending back almost to the origin of our planet can be deciphered from the study of these buried soils, or paleosols. Some rudiments of this history, and our place in it, are outlined in a final section of this book. But first it is necessary to learn something of the language of soils, of what happens to them when buried in the rock record and which of the forces of nature can be confidently reconstructed from their remains. Much of this preliminary material is borrowed from soil science, but throughout emphasis is laid on features that provide most reliable evidence of landscapes during the distant geological past. This book has evolved primarily as a text for senior level university courses in paleopedology: the study of fossil soils.

Authors and Affiliations

  • University of Oregon, Eugene, USA

    Gregory J. Retallack

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Soils of the Past

  • Book Subtitle: An introduction to paleopedology

  • Authors: Gregory J. Retallack

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-7902-7

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Gregory J. Retallack 1990

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-0-04-445757-2Published: 22 February 1990

  • eBook ISBN: 978-94-011-7902-7Published: 06 December 2012

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XVIII, 520

  • Topics: Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, multidisciplinary

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation