pedología

Pedology is the scientific study of soils in their natural environment. It is a core component of soil science, distinct from edaphology, which concentrates on soils’ influence on living organisms. Pedology emphasizes soil formation (pedogenesis), soil morphology, classification, and the geographic distribution of soils, studying soils as natural bodies shaped by climate, organisms, relief, parent material, and time.

Historically, pedology arose in the 19th century with the work of Vasily Dokuchaev in Russia, who treated soil as a dynamic natural entity with a recognizable vertical profile. The concept of soil formation factors, later formalized as CLORPT—climate, organisms, relief, parent material, and time—remains central to understanding soil development.

Practically, pedology involves field description and mapping, horizon identification, and laboratory analyses of physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties. It also uses soil micromorphology and geospatial methods to study spatial patterns and processes such as weathering, humus formation, and drainage.

Pedology integrates with regional planning, agriculture, forestry, and environmental management to support sustainable land use. Its sister branch, edaphology, focuses on soils’ relationships to plants, water, and ecosystems, but pedology provides the context of soils as natural systems.

Classification systems commonly used in pedology include the United States Department of Agriculture Soil Taxonomy and the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) published by FAO. Together with regional schemes, these frameworks organize soils by properties and genesis to support communication and application in science and policy.