Soils Of The Past An Introduction To Paleopedology Second Edition Gregory J Retallackauth by Gregory J. Retallack(auth.) 9780470698716, 9780632053766, 0470698713, 0632053763 instant download after payment.

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.

Content:
Chapter 1 Paleopedology (pages 3–6):
Chapter 2 Soils on and Under the Landscape (pages 7–12):
Chapter 3 Features of Fossil Soils (pages 13–36):
Chapter 4 Soil?Forming Processes (pages 37–62):
Chapter 5 Soil Classification (pages 63–76):
Chapter 6 Mapping and Naming Paleosols (pages 77–86):
Chapter 7 Alteration of Paleosols After Burial (pages 87–101):
Chapter 8 Models of Soil Formation (pages 105–107):
Chapter 9 Climate (pages 108–127):
Chapter 10 Organisms (pages 128–159):
Chapter 11 Topographic Relief as a Factor (pages 160–170):
Chapter 12 Parent Material as a Factor (pages 171–182):
Chapter 13 Time as a Factor (pages 183–203):
Chapter 14 A Long?Term Natural Experiment in Pedogenesis (pages 207–208):
Chapter 15 Soils of Other Worlds (pages 209–226):
Chapter 16 Earth's Earliest Landscapes (pages 227–245):
Chapter 17 Early Life on Land (pages 246–262):
Chapter 18 Large Plants and Animals on Land (pages 263–279):
Chapter 19 Afforestation of the Land (pages 280–299):
Chapter 20 Grasses in Dry Continental Interiors (pages 300–317):
Chapter 21 Human Impact on Landscapes (pages 317–333):