Data News Item: Soil Taxonomy Order (Dominant Condition)

The most general level of classification in the USDA system of Soil Taxonomy is the Soil Order. Soil orders are frequently defined by a single dominant characteristic affecting soils in that location, e.g., the prevalent vegetation, the type of parent material, or the climate variables such as lack of precipitation or the presence of permafrost. Also significant in several soil orders is the amount of physical and chemical weathering present, and/or the relative amount of soil profile development that has taken place.

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