dentification of soil parent materials is based on visual interpretation skills, which can be developed by viewing and reviewing numerous soil pits and/or monolith photographs. Please remember that parent material properties are best observed in the relatively unaltered C horizon.
The tables provided in the pages under the Parent Material Index category will allow you to quickly locate specific types of parent materials shown on soil monoliths in the UBC’s collection. Please note that:
- there are no examples of glacio-lacustrine, eolian, loess, and volcanic types of parent material in the UBC’s collection and
- not all monoliths feature the parent material since it was too difficult to excavate it.
To see more examples of parent materials and associated landforms in their natural settings visit our web-based tool “Soil Formation and Parent Material” available at [ ].
The tables below show transported parent materials featured in the UBC collection that are associated with wind and gravity as the modes of transportation and deposition.
Mode of Transportation and Deposition: Wind
| Parent Material Type | Soil Classification Category | Monolith No. |
|---|---|---|
| Loess | None | |
| Volcanic | None | |
| Eolian | None |
Mode of Transportation and Deposition: Gravity
| Parent Material Type | Soil Classification Category | Monolith No. |
|---|---|---|
| Colluvium | Orthic Regosol | 8-02 |