A Visual Atlas for Soil Micromorphologists

Chapter 1. The multiscalar nature of soils.- Chapter 2. History of micromorphology.- Chapter 3. Observation and sampling of soils.- Chapter 4. How to make thin sections.- Chapter 5.The polarised light microscope.- Chapter 6. Other techniques of observation.- Chapter 7. Electron and energy imaging.- Chapter 8. Colours of minerals.- Chapter 9. The micromorphological approach.- Chapter 10. Concept of fabric.- Chapter 11. Multiscalar approach to fabric.- Chapter 12. Basic distribution patterns.- Chapter 13. c/f related distributions I.- Chapter 14. c/f related distributions II.- Chapter 15. Aggregates and aggregation.- Chapter 16. Degree of separation and accommodation of aggregates.- Chapter 17. The nature of voids.- Chapter 18. Morphology of voids I.- Chapter 19. The morphology of voids II.- Chapter 20. Microstructure I.- Chapter 21. Microstructure II.- Chapter 22. Mineral and organic constituents.- Chapter 23. Particle size and sorting.- Chapter 24. Shape of grains: equidimensionality.- Chapter 25. Shape of grains: roundness and sphericity.- Chapter 26. Basalt, granite, and gabbro.- Chapter 27. Schist, gneiss, and amphibolite.- Chapter 28. Quartzite and marble.- Chapter 29. Calcium-bearing sedimentary rocks.- Chapter 30. Sand and sandstone.- Chapter 31. Mineral grains in the soil I: quartz and chalcedony.- Chapter 32. Mineral grains in the soil II: feldspar and mica.- Chapter 33. Mineral grains in the soil III: inosilicates and nesosilicates.- Chapter 34. Mineral grains in the soil IV: carbonates.- Chapter 35. Mineral grains in the soil V: chlorides and sulfates.- Chapter 36. Biominerals I.- Chapter 37. Biominerals II.- Chapter 38. Biominerals III.- Chapter 39. Anthropogenic features I.- Chapter 40. Anthropogenic features II.- Chapter 41. Organic matter I.- Chapter 42. Organic matter II.- Chapter 43. Humus.- Chapter 44. Micromass.- Chapter 45. B-fabric I.- Chapter 46. B-fabric II.- Chapter 47. Imprints of pedogenesis.- Chapter 48. Iron- and manganese-bearing

Dr. Eric P. Verrecchia is a full professor of Biogeosciences at the Institute of Earth Surface Processes, University of Lausanne (Switzerland). He specializes in geopedology and biogeochemistry of the terrestrial carbon and calcium cycles. Awarded with a Marie-Curie-Fellowship in 1994-95, he joined Prof. G. Stoops laboratory of soil micromorphology in Gent (Belgium), where he was introduced to the microscopic approach of soils. Since then, he has been teaching and applying this technique, by coupling it with biogeochemical methods, to soils from the tropics and the temperate zone, particularly in carbonate-rich environments.
Dr. Luca Trombino is associate professor at the University of Milan, Earth Sciences Department. His main research topics are in the field of geopedology, paleopedology, soil and archaeological deposits, where he extensively uses thin section micromorphology, coupled to sedimentology, geoarchaeology and Quaternary geology methods. He started to practice soil micromorphology in 1994 when he attended the courses by G. Stoops at the University of Gent (Belgium), and at present, is teaching Micropedology to the students of the M.Sc. in BioGeoSciences and M.Sc. in Conservation Science at the University of Milan.