List of parent materials featured in the UBC monolith collection

Identification 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 table below will allow you to quickly locate specific types of parent materials shown on soil monoliths in the UBC’s collection. Please note that:

1. there are no examples of glacio-lacustrine, eolian, loess, and volcanic types of parent material in the UBC’s collection and
2. 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 http://soilweb.landfood.ubc.ca/landscape/parent-material

List of transported parent materials featured in the UBC collection and associated modes of transportation and deposition