ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the general aspects of soil formation and gives specific examples of soil age studies on various geologic materials in New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia and South Carolina. The formation of soil from geologic material is the result of complex, dynamic processes whereby changes are continually taking place. In soils on old landscapes, the changes may take place very slowly, but in young geological materials (e.g. glacial till or alluvium), changes may occur rapidly as vegetation becomes established and as environmental factors influence weathering of the materials. The processes of soil formation include additions, losses, transformations, translocations, physical alteration and chemical alteration. Particle-size distribution of soil profiles has been used extensively to study soil age; the clay content has been especially useful for this evaluation. The formation and translocation of clay minerals in soil profiles is well established.
