Maalajeissa

Maalajeissa is a Finnish term used in soil science to describe the different soil types, or maalaji, based on mineral composition and particle size distribution. In English, the concept corresponds to soil texture or soil type. The term describes how much of the soil is composed of sand, silt, and clay, with other properties such as organic matter content and mineralogy affecting classification. Common texture classes include sandy, loamy, silty, and clayey varieties, with intermediate forms such as loam and silt loam. The specific mapping and nomenclature can vary by country, but the general approach is to categorize soils by their textural fractions.

Soil types influence physical properties: drainage, porosity, water-holding capacity, aeration, and surface area for nutrient exchange. They affect nutrient availability and pH buffering, fertility, and suitability for crops, forests, or construction. In practice, soil scientists determine the texture of soils by particle-size analysis, using sieving for the coarse fraction and sedimentation or hydrometer methods for the finer fractions, to calculate the percentages of sand, silt, and clay.

Formation processes include weathering of parent material, deposition by water or wind, and soil-forming factors such as climate, organisms, relief, and time. In many regions, including those shaped by glaciation, soils reflect layers of deposition from moraines, till, and other residual materials.

Maalajeissa is used in land-use planning, agriculture, and environmental management to predict drainage, irrigation needs, and fertility management. The term is most commonly encountered in Finnish-language soil science and agricultural literature, but the underlying concepts are global.