An illustrated handbook on paleosols is something that has been near the top of my sedimentological wish list for some time. Although their precursors form part of the natural environment with which we all have frequent contact, many students find paleosols baffling and problematic parts of the sedimentary record. A comprehensive collection of photographs showing representative examples with which to compare one's own observations could be a valuable source of reference for student, teacher and researcher alike. It was therefore with considerable anticipation that I unpacked this latest publication from one of the most active and productive proponents of paleopedology.
The book is a combination of text and color illustrations in the now-standard sub-A4 format. In the preface, the author suggests that the book should be used for browsing, as an introduction to paleopedology for "fellow researchers". The text provides summaries of central aspects of paleopedology, such as the recognition and interpretation of paleosols, and many of the processes that may alter them after burial. There are numerous, generally excellent line drawings and several useful tables. Many users will, for example, appreciate the extensive summaries of the relationship between soil type and important environmental variables such as climate, topography, vegetation type and parent material. Despite the author's target readership (see above), I found the technical level of the text rather uneven, ranging from the advanced to the banal. Soil taxonomy is given very complete coverage; the section on alteration includes aspects such as metamorphism and kerogen maturation; and phytoliths, an important component of many grassland soils, on the other hand, are simply described as "small stones".
It is not, of course, to the text, but to the 144 ca. 8.3 x 12.4 cm color plates that most readers will initially turn. These form the core of the book and provide an unparalleled review of paleosol features at all scales, from whole mountainsides to the microscopic. The captions are reasonably comprehensive, although arrows or other forms of annotation would have strengthened the link between some photos and their accompanying text. Impressive though the collection of plates may be, it has to be pointed out that they provide a very personal view of the world of paleopedology. If the author has not been there, seen it, written the paper, then the paleosol is likely to receive at best scanty coverage. This means that soils characteristic of alluvial systems, deltaic and coastal plains, and some volcanic ashes, are well represented, but the uninitiated browser could be forgiven for going away with the impression that paleosols are of little interest to the carbonate sedimentologist. There is just one photo of a primary (as opposed to pedogenic) limestone, and I looked in vain for pictures of paleokarst, black pebbles, laminated crusts, palustrine fabrics, terra rosa or any of the other features diagnostic of subaerially weathered carbonate rocks. The same is true of eolian deposits. Why are there no examples of the spectacular paleosols found within the coastal eolianite belts of the circum-Mediterranean or Caribbean islands, nor of those which interrupt the huge loess deposits of central Europe and China? From a personal point of view, I should also have liked to see more attention given to soils of the tropical belt. The few examples are all from Kenya, mainly from ash and lava successions. Although interesting, they are hardly typical of the soils and paleosols that cover vast tracts of the equatorial landscape. Given the enormous diversity of fossil soils, almost anybody could, of course, find gaps in the coverage offered by A Colour Guide ..... The selection provided here may just reflect what the author believes to be the most important paleosol types. It is worth recalling, however, that paleosols in marine limestone successions provide one of the few unequivocal indicators of relative sea-level fall and are of great value for correlation purposes. Fossil soils associated with eolian deposits can be of considerable paleoclimatic significance. Those within the Pleistocene loess blankets have been of central importance to land-sea correlations of Quaternary climate change.
So would I recommend this book to the confused student or interested colleague? Obviously for anyone concerned with fluvial systems, and to a lesser extent pyroclastic deposits, there is much to appreciate or learn from. Even in these cases, however, I have to point out that the book has one major drawback: the text contains not a single citation to any of the 144 photos, and there is no cross-referencing between caption and text. This is not an oversight; in his introduction to the plates, the author openly states that these are provided to give "an independent visual treatment" of the paleosols. In my opinion this is a major error of judgement, greatly reducing the value of the book as a source of reference and guidance. Matters might be easier were the plates included in the index, but they are not. Individual keywords from photo title or caption may be listed, but these are indexed by page number--which alas are lacking from the pages of color plates!
In short, this is a brave attempt to produce what could have been an outstanding contribution to the sedimentological literature. There is much to recommend, and many fluvial sedimentologists will undoubtedly find in the book material of interest and illumination. But it in no way provides a comprehensive coverage of paleosols and sadly the lack of integration between text and illustrations detracts from its utility as a work of reference. Despite these shortcomings, many will undoubtedly appreciate the book as an attractive and useful addition to the bookshelf.
MICHAEL R. TALBOT
Geological Institute
University of Bergen
5007 Bergen
Norway
Source
http://archives.datapages.com/data/sepm/journals/v66-67/data/068/068004/0710.HTM