Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 6.1
Schematic arrangement of major genetic soils in the polar regions
Soil zone
Deep, well-drained soils
Gley soils
Organic soils
Arctic Brown
Arctic Brown
Tundra
Bog
Minimal Podzol in southern sectors
Polar Desert
Polar Desert
Tundra
Bog
Isolated Arctic Brown soil in southern sectors
Cold Desert
Cold Desert
Evaporite (saline) soils of the Cold Desert
Tedrow (
1968
)
Table 6.2
Zonal classifi cation of frigic soils of Antarctica
Parent material
Material
Available moisture Status
Degree of development
Composition
Zonal soils (Frigic soils)
Ultraxcroos
Weakly developed
Alluvium
Greywacke
Xerous
Moderately developed
Colluvium
Schist
Subxerous
Strongly developed
Moraine
Granite
Massive rock,
etc.
Dolerite, etc.
Intrazonal soils
Soils formed under the infl uence
of saline groundwater
Evaporitc Soils
Algal peats
Soils with a dominant
organic constituent
Avian soils
(ornithogenic soils)
Soils formed under the infl uence
of hydrothermal waters
(Hydrothermal soils)
Azonal soils
Soils of recent beaches, fans,
streambeds, etc.
Recent soils
Source
: Campbell and Claridge (
1969
)
Table
6.3
shows Tedrow's (
1991
) linkage of soils in the polar regions. The Cold
Desert (Antarctica) and Polar Desert (Arctic) Soil Zones were subdivided into sec-
ond order (zonality and soil moisture availability), third order (texture and mineral
properties of the parent material), fourth order (wetness factor; not applicable to
Antarctica), and fi fth order (related to patterned ground). Although the zonal sys-
tems are useful in relating soils of the Arctic and Antarctic, they have been used
only to a limited extent in mapping soils of the polar regions.
6.2
Natural Soil Classifi cation Schemes
The fi rst technical or natural soil classifi cation system was established in Canada in
1978. cryosols were identifi ed as one of what was to become 10 soil orders. cryosols
