Soils of the Past – An Introduction to Paleopedology 2e

It has been 10 years since publication of the first edition of Soils of the Past. In that time the subject of paleopedology has grown rapidly, and established itself within the mainstream of geological research. Ancient soils contain vital mineralogical, geochemical, textural, and paleontological information about the continental environments in which they formed. Advances in isotope geochemistry and sequence-stratigraphic models allow more detailed reconstructions of environmental change from paleosols and new insights into diverse topics like atmospheric chemistry, global change, palaeoecology, geobiology and mass extinction. This fully updated second edition of soils of the past gives describes the main types of ancient soil, procedures for their recognition and study, their classification and, most significantly, a wide array of examples of how paleosols have been used for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Soils of the Past is written for advanced undergraduates studying paleopedology as part of a degree in geology, environmental science, or physical geography, and for interested professional earth scientists. In the last few years however palaeopedology has become an established discipline in its own right, so the time is ripe for a new edition. This new book will be a good reflection of the current state of knowledge and be widely adopted. * First edition was very well received and sold over 1500 copies when the subject was relatively new. The field has now grown enormously and the second edition should do considerably better. * The new edition covers new developments in the field such as: Soils and Climate, stable isotope analysis of soils, soils and sequence stratigraphy. * This edition represents the only available overview of the subject at this level.

Table of Contents:
Preface to the second edition. Preface to the First Edition. Acknowledgments. Part 1: Soils and Palesols. 1. Paleopedology. 2. Soils and under the landscape. 3. Feature of Fossil Soils. 4. Soil-Forming processes. 5. Soil Classification. 6. Mapping and Naming Palesols. 7. Alteration of Paleosols after burial. Part 2: Factors in soil formation. 8. Models of Soil Formation. 9. Climate. Organisms. 11. Topographic relief as a factor. 12. Parent Material as a factor. 13. Time as a Factor. PART 3: Fossil record of Soils. 14. A long-term natural experiment in pedogenesis. 15. Soils of other worlds. 16. Earth's earliest landscapes. 17. Earl life on land. 18. Large plants and animals o land. 19. Afforestation of the Land. 20. Grasses in Dry continental Interiors. 21. Human Impact on Landscapes. Glossary. References. Index.

About the Author :
Gregory John Retallack is an Australian paleontologist, geologist, and author who specializes in the study of fossil soils. His research has examined the fossil record of soils though major events in Earth history, extending back some 4.6 billion years.

Review :
"With its wide sweep of ideas, should be read by all interested in soils and processes that shape them." Times Higher Education Supplement "This is certainly a book for the library shelves of any Earth science or geography department, and certainly a thought-provoking read for any student of Earth history or environmental change." John Conway, The Holocene, April 2002