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Agrogeology

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Encyclopedia of Soil Science

Agrogeology, a subdiscipline of geology, is the scientific study of the origin, nature, composition, distribution and utilization of soils from a geological viewpoint. Geology is the scientific study of the Earth, and defines the soil as the uppermost geologic layer, or substratum, that supports plant life on the Earth's land surface. Critical data have been drawn together from several fields of natural science disciplines to provide an understanding of the cycling of elements and minerals in the course of time and explain the complexity of the terrestrial system.

The continental part of the Earth's crust – the lithosphere, comprises about one third of the Earth's surface and is composed of various rocks. The Earth's crust was formed throughout its 4.5 billion‐years history. The principal materials in the crust (minerals, rocks, soils and water) on or near the surface of the Earth have been created and destroyed by numerous physical, chemical and biological processes. These processes...

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Bibliography

  • Birkeland, P.W., 1999. Soils and Geomorphology, 3rd ed., New York: Oxford University Press, 430 pp.

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  • Hunt, C.B., 1972. Geology of Soils; Their Evolution, Classification, and Uses. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman, 344 pp.

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  • van Straaten, P., 2006. Farming with rocks and minerals: challenges and opportunities. An. Acad. Bras. Ciênc., 78(4).

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© 2008 Springer

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Dahlgren, R.A. et al. (2008). Agrogeology. In: Chesworth, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Soil Science. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-3995-9_21

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