A Practical Introduction to Soils in Great Britain (Harper Adams University)

If you would like to improve your soil investigation and description skills, this course is for you. This two-day training course is led by a team of national experts in soil description, mapping and classification. You will learn how soils form, why they differ from one place to another, and why and how they are classified. You will also find out about the key hard-copy and digital sources of information on the soils of England and Wales. You will learn how to identify and record key soil properties, such as texture and structure, and then be taken into the field to practice your newly-acquired skills. On the second day, you will be able to study a range of different soil types with guidance from the experts. This course includes a number of presentations, a practical session on soil description and then field visits to demonstrate a range of soils. Delegates will learn about: - soil formation processes and the factors that influence soil development, - the nature of soil profiles and key soil horizon types, - the structure of the national soil classification and the principal soil types in England and Wales, - organic matter types, - the practical aspects of soil description – hand texturing and the description of stones, soil colour recording, the assessment of soil structure and porosity and the assessment of soil calcium carbonate