The soil scientist recognizes that all soils can be subdivided into three orders, known as zonal, intrazonal, and azonal orders. Zonal soils, formed under conditions of good soil drainage through the prolonged action of climate and vegetation, are by far the most important and widespread of the three orders. Intrazonal soils are simply those formed under conditions of very poor drainage (such as in bogs, flood-plain meadows, or in the playa lake basins of the deserts) or upon limestones whose influence is dominant.
Azonal soils have no well-developed profile characteristics, either because they have had insufficient time to develop or because they are on slopes too steep to allow profile development. Azonal soils include thin, stony mountain soils of the earth's mountain regions (lithosols), freshly laid alluvial materials, or dune sands (regosols). These usually have poorly developed profiles and cannot be easily classified, whereas the zonal and intrazonal soils have distinctive profile characteristics as the result of long development.
The great soil groups - The U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1938 recognized about 30 great soil groups, but these can be simplified into-about 18 principal varieties, including both zonal and intrazonal orders, that have worldwide distributions under similar climatic and geomorphic conditions.
The founder of modern theories of soil origin and classification was V.V. Dockuchaiev, a Russian geologist; his studies between 1882 and 1900 led him to the concept that soil is an independent body whose character is determined primarily by climate and vegetation. A Russian follower of Dockuchaiev, K.D. Glinka, expanded the concepts of horizons in the soil profile.
Locals hypothesize that the legacy of Italian blood and culture in Cologne, colonized by the Romans more than 1500 years ago, makes the people more jovial and lighthearted. Cologne is the largest city on the Rhine.
Kolsch is not only the dialect spoken here but, also the name of their own top-fermented beer. There are more than 4,000 pubs, restaurant's and brewery taverns in Cologne.
Unlike many of the world's large cities, Cologne, with a population of over a million, gets better every day, there are more things to do and see, more new and innovative buildings... more
Travel is an opportunity to learn, whether geography, languages, history or other subjects.
Cologne is situated on the beautiful Rhine River.