Volcanic Ash Soils (Hardcover)

Hardcover. Volcanic eruptions are generally viewed as agents of destruction, yet they provide the parent materials from which some of the most productive soils in the world are formed. The high productivity results from a combination of unique physical, chemical and mineralogical properties. The importance and uniqueness of volcanic ash soils are exemplified by the recent establishment of the Andisol soil order in Soil Taxonomy. This book provides a comprehensive synthesis of all aspects of vocanic ash soils. It contains in-depth coverage of topics including terminology, morphology, genesis, classification, mineralogy, chemistry, physical properties, productivity and utilization. A wealth of data (37 tables, 81 figures, and Appendix) mainly from the Tohoku University Andisol Data Base is used to illustrate major concepts. Twelve colour plates provide a visual-aid and complement the text description of the world-wide distribution for volcanic ash soils. This volume should be a useful reference for soil scientists, plant scientists, ecologists and geochemists interested in biogeochemical processes occurring in soils derived from volcanic ejecta. Volcanic eruptions are generally viewed as agents of destruction, yet they provide the parent materials from which productive soils are formed. This book provides a synthesis of the various aspects of volcanic ash soils. It covers topics including terminology, morphology, genesis, classification, mineralogy, chemistry, productivity, and more. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…