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Canadian system of soil classification
The Canadian System of Soil Classification is more closely related to the American system than any other, but they differ in several ways. The Canadian system is designed to cover only Canadian soils. The Canadian system dispenses with the sub-order hierarchical level. Solonetzic and Gleysolic soils are differentiated at the order level.
Before 1955, Canadian soil testing was based on systems of classification which were similar to methods being used in the United States. In 1955, a taxonomic system of soil classification specific to Canadian conditions was introduced. This system was designed to differentiate soils created by pedogenic processes in cool climatic environments.
The land area of Canada (excluding inland waters) is approximately 9,180,000 km2, of which about 1,375,000 km2 (15%) is rock land. The remainder is classified according to the Canadian System of Soil Classification. This system differentiates soil types on the basis of measured properties of the profile and uses a hierarchical scheme to classify soils from general to specific. The most recent version of the classification system has five categories in its hierarchical structure. From general to specific, the major categories in this system are: Orders, Great Groups, Subgroups, Families, and Series.
Soil classes are defined as specifically as possible to permit uniformity of classification. Limits between classes are arbitrary as there are few sharp divisions of the soil continuum in nature. Differences in soils are the result of the interaction of many factors: climate, organisms, parent material, relief and time. The soil classification system changes as knowledge grows through soil mapping and research in Canada and elsewhere.
Classification involves arranging individual units with similar characteristics into groups. Soils do not occur as discrete entities; thus the unit of measurement for soil is not obvious. This unit of measurement is called the pedon, defined as a 3-dimensional body, commonly with lateral dimensions of 1 metre and depth of 1 to 2 metres. A vertical section of a pedon displays the more-or-less horizontal layers (horizons) developed by the action of soil-forming processes. Soil classification facilitates the organization and communication of information about soils, as well as the understanding of relationships between soils and environmental factors. At its most general level, the Canadian System recognizes ten different Soil Orders.
To classify in a soil in practice, an identification key in The Canadian System of Soil Classification is used. Decisions are made based on the properties of the horizons, such as thickness, Munsell colour, pH, or evidence of other soil-forming processes (eg, eluviation).
These soils have permafrost (permanently frozen material) within one metre of the surface (2 m if the soil is strongly cryoturbated; i.e., disturbed by frost action). As permafrost is a barrier to roots and water, the active layer (seasonally thawed material) above it may become a saturated, semifluid material in spring. Commonly the permafrost layer near the surface contains abundant ice. Melting of ice and frozen materials, resulting from disturbance of the surface vegetation (boreal forest or tundra), may cause slumping of the soil and disruption of roads, pipelines and buildings. Cryosolic soils, occupying about 3,672,000 km2 (about 40%) of Canada's land area, are dominant in much of the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut and occur in northern areas of all but the Atlantic provinces (excluding Labrador).
The order and its three great groups were defined in 1973, after soil and terrain surveys in the Mackenzie Valley yielded new knowledge about the properties, genesis and significance of these soils. Turbic Cryosols have a patterned surface (hummocks, stone nets, etc.) and mixed horizons or other evidence of cryoturbation. Static Cryosols lack marked evidence of cryoturbation; they are associated with sandy or gravelly materials. Organic Cryosols are composed dominantly of organic materials (e.g., peat). Because organic material acts as an insulator, Organic Cryosols occur farther south than the boundary of continuous permafrost.
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Canadian system of soil classification
The Canadian System of Soil Classification is more closely related to the American system than any other, but they differ in several ways. The Canadian system is designed to cover only Canadian soils. The Canadian system dispenses with the sub-order hierarchical level. Solonetzic and Gleysolic soils are differentiated at the order level.
Before 1955, Canadian soil testing was based on systems of classification which were similar to methods being used in the United States. In 1955, a taxonomic system of soil classification specific to Canadian conditions was introduced. This system was designed to differentiate soils created by pedogenic processes in cool climatic environments.
The land area of Canada (excluding inland waters) is approximately 9,180,000 km2, of which about 1,375,000 km2 (15%) is rock land. The remainder is classified according to the Canadian System of Soil Classification. This system differentiates soil types on the basis of measured properties of the profile and uses a hierarchical scheme to classify soils from general to specific. The most recent version of the classification system has five categories in its hierarchical structure. From general to specific, the major categories in this system are: Orders, Great Groups, Subgroups, Families, and Series.
Soil classes are defined as specifically as possible to permit uniformity of classification. Limits between classes are arbitrary as there are few sharp divisions of the soil continuum in nature. Differences in soils are the result of the interaction of many factors: climate, organisms, parent material, relief and time. The soil classification system changes as knowledge grows through soil mapping and research in Canada and elsewhere.
Classification involves arranging individual units with similar characteristics into groups. Soils do not occur as discrete entities; thus the unit of measurement for soil is not obvious. This unit of measurement is called the pedon, defined as a 3-dimensional body, commonly with lateral dimensions of 1 metre and depth of 1 to 2 metres. A vertical section of a pedon displays the more-or-less horizontal layers (horizons) developed by the action of soil-forming processes. Soil classification facilitates the organization and communication of information about soils, as well as the understanding of relationships between soils and environmental factors. At its most general level, the Canadian System recognizes ten different Soil Orders.
To classify in a soil in practice, an identification key in The Canadian System of Soil Classification is used. Decisions are made based on the properties of the horizons, such as thickness, Munsell colour, pH, or evidence of other soil-forming processes (eg, eluviation).
These soils have permafrost (permanently frozen material) within one metre of the surface (2 m if the soil is strongly cryoturbated; i.e., disturbed by frost action). As permafrost is a barrier to roots and water, the active layer (seasonally thawed material) above it may become a saturated, semifluid material in spring. Commonly the permafrost layer near the surface contains abundant ice. Melting of ice and frozen materials, resulting from disturbance of the surface vegetation (boreal forest or tundra), may cause slumping of the soil and disruption of roads, pipelines and buildings. Cryosolic soils, occupying about 3,672,000 km2 (about 40%) of Canada's land area, are dominant in much of the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut and occur in northern areas of all but the Atlantic provinces (excluding Labrador).
The order and its three great groups were defined in 1973, after soil and terrain surveys in the Mackenzie Valley yielded new knowledge about the properties, genesis and significance of these soils. Turbic Cryosols have a patterned surface (hummocks, stone nets, etc.) and mixed horizons or other evidence of cryoturbation. Static Cryosols lack marked evidence of cryoturbation; they are associated with sandy or gravelly materials. Organic Cryosols are composed dominantly of organic materials (e.g., peat). Because organic material acts as an insulator, Organic Cryosols occur farther south than the boundary of continuous permafrost.