Comprehensive Soil Classification System

Approximate equivalents in the comprehensive soil classification system are Chernozem and Chestnut, Mollisol Serozem, Aridisol Gray Forest, Alfisol. 

Culminating a long-term international effort, the Soil Survey staff of the Soil Conservation Service (U S. Department of Agriculture) developed a Comprehensive Soil Classification System (CSCS) for world soils (Soil Survey Staff 1975). The CSCS defines soil classes strictly in terms of soil morphology, rather than based on soil genesis. A brief explanation of the 10 soil orders in the CSCS is given in Table 7.4 (see also Bodek et al. 1988). Their temporal relationships are considered in Fig. 7.6. 

TABLE 7.4 A simplified description of the 10 soil orders as defined in the Comprehensive Soil Classification System (CSCS)... 

Note Further details can be obtained from Soil Classification, A Comprehensive System 7th Approximation/ Soil Conservation Service, U S. Department of Agriculture. Washington, DC. (Published periodically). 

Soil Survey Staff. Soil Classification—A Comprehensive System—7th Ap-... 

US Department of Agriculture (1960) Soil classification a comprehensive system, 7th Approximation. SoU Survey Staff, Washington, DG, p 113... 

Definition Wetlands are lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water. For purposes of this classification, wetlands must have one or more of the following three attributes (i) at least periodically, the land supports predominately hydrophytes, (ii) the substrate is predominately undrained hydric soil, and (iii) the substrate is nonsoil and is saturated with water or covered by shallow water at some time during the growing season of each year. Source Cowardin et al. (1979). U.S. Department of Interior—Fish and Wildlife Service. This definition places emphasis on all three major attributes of wetlands, and is difficult to apply as it requires a comprehensive study of the site. The boundaries identified by this criteria are much more reliable than the EPA definition. 

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