ABSTRACT
The word Andosol comes from the Japanese an = black and do = soil. Andosols are largely associated with volcanic rocks over the entire Earth. But they cover only a small area (about 110 million ha, or less than 1 per cent of the lands of the world). Very fertile, they are cultivated wherever possible. In the regions with these soils, population density can reach 1000 persons per sq. km. At the physical, chemical and mineralogical levels they have exceptional properties, the study of which is particularly instructive and indirectly helps to understand the properties of all the other soil types.
