GEOPEDOLOGY
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Bibliography
- Delivery method
- Teaching methods
Knowledge of the main geomorphological and physical geography processes is required, as well as the main characteristics of vegetation and basic notions of organic and inorganic chemistry.
The verification of the learning will take place at the end of the course with an oral test, at the end of which a mark expressed in thirtieths will be recorded.
The final evaluation will consider the knowledge acquired (60%) and the ability to organize and illustrate the arguments (30%) and the exposition skills (10%).
The goal of this course is to provide students with the basic knowledge to describe and understand the functioning of the soil and to characterize the soil properties, both for geopedological and interdisciplinary studies.
1 - Soil as interface between biosphere, atmosphere and lithosphere: soil definitions; soil constituents.
2 - Pedologic profile and soli horizons: characteristics and nomenclature of different types of soil horizons; field soil profile description.
3 - Processes and factors of the pedogenesis: general soil evolution processes; fundamental pedogenetic processes; soil evolution factors and the Jenny’s equation; time factor and paleosols.
4 - Soil classification: genetic classifications and Duchaufour’s French ecological classification; hierarchic classifications and Soil Taxonomy; referential classifications, FAO-Unesco, IRB, WRB.
5 - Soils and environmental context: soils and geomorphology; soil - landscape relationship; soil survey and soil mapping; land evaluation, land capability and land suitability.
6 - Analytical methods: physical, chemical and mineralogical analyses; microscopic analyzes and basis of micromorphological investigation.
Casalicchio G. (2006). Geopedologia con elementi di geoarcheologia. Pitagora.
Dazzi C. (2013). Fondamenti di Pedologia. Le Penseur
Giordano A. (1999). Pedologia. UTET
Duchaufour P. (2001). Introduction à la Science du Sol. Dunod.
Le Gros J.P. (2007). Les Grands Sols du Monde. Presses Universitaires Romandes.
Gobat S., Aragno P.O. & Mathey C. (2010). Le Sol Vivant.. Presses Universitaires Romandes.
Schaetlz R. & Anderson s. (2005). Soils: Genesis and Geomorphology. Cambridge University Press.
0.5 ECTS will be devoted to laboratory (i.e. physical and chemical analyses on soils and micropedology)
1 ECTS will be provided on the field (i.e. profile description and sampling, classification and basis of cartography)