New Zealand Soil Classification

Contains comtemporary knowledge on the classification of New Zealand soils. The book includes precise definitions of classes and keys for soil recognition, required by modern soil surveys and land evaluations. This edition contains updates and corrections, plus 11 new soil subgroups.

Soils need to be classified so they can be identified and mapped. The classification of soils in New Zealand is described in two publications in the Landcare Research Science Series: The New Zealand Soil Classification (Hewitt 2010) and this new report by Webb and Lilburne, Criteria for defining the soil family and soil sibling. The New Zealand Soil Classification classifies NZ soils into 15 soil orders, each of which is divided successively into soil groups and subgroups; this provides an important framework to understand the occurrence and broad properties of soils in the landscape. Criteria for defining the soil family and soil sibling defines the next two levels of classification: soil families and siblings. The sibling is the primary entity depicted on soil maps. Families and siblings separate soils into well defined classes that define each soil's physical composition. The family criteria separate soils on the basis of three criteria: the nature of the soil profile material to 1.0 metre depth, the dominant texture in the upper 0.6 m, and minimum permeability within 1.0 m depth. The sibling criteria separate soils mainly according to the composition of horizons that make up the soil profile.

This book offers an introduction to the soils of Aotearoa New Zealand, structured according to the New Zealand soil classification system. Starting with an overview of the importance and distribution of New Zealand soils, it subsequently provides essential information on each of the 15 New Zealand soil orders in separate chapters. Each chapter, illustrated with diagrams and photographs in colour, includes a summary of the main features of the soils in the order, their genesis and relationships with landscapes, their key properties including examples of physical and chemical characteristics, and their classification, use, and management. The book then features a chapter on soils in the Ross Sea region of Antarctica and concludes by considering New Zealand soils in a global context, soil-formation pathways, and methods used in New Zealand to evaluate soils and assist in land-management decisions. Information about how to access detailed information via links to the Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research website is also included.

Outlines the methods used to develop the New Zealand Soil Classification (NZSC) and discusses the rationale for class recognition and definition.

Formally introduces a new soil class to the New Zealand Classification, the soilform, a division of a subgroup based mainly on lithological characteristics.

Developments in soil classification have accompanied parallel progress in our understanding of the soil system. However the theories behind the classifications and the purposes for which they were created have changed over time. The editors hope that this comprehensive synthesis will help to rally soil scientists around the world to develop an acce