ABSTRACT
The objectives of the Canadian soil classification are practically the same as those for creating the US Soil Taxonomy. Canadian soil science also uses a system of soil series. Poor development of higher levels of taxonomy did not allow successful grouping of these series, the number of which rapidly increased over the years. The concepts of the 7th Approximation, published in the 1960s, including diagnostic horizons, formal quantitative criteria for the taxa, and the structure of taxonomy, were adapted by the Canadians. We would like to introduce a term ‘source system’ – meaning a classification where the main concepts, structure and, partly, the terminology have been borrowed. The source system for the Canadian soil classification was the 7th Approximation. However, the Canadians did not copy Soil Taxonomy; its format was adapted to Canadian environments, and its terminology was almost completely reworked. No climatic criteria are included at the highest levels of the classification. The Canadian soil classification mostly uses traditional terms, and, some important traditional soil archetypes are also preserved. Soil Taxonomy practically eliminated some widely recognized soil archetypes, such as Gley and Solonetz; however, they exist in the Canadian classification. Alluvial soils are recognized only in the lower levels of classification (some Cumulic Regosols and Organic soils), illustrating that the importance of soil features is expert-dependent.
